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UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


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THE  COLORED  CADET  fu> 

AT 

WEST    POINT. 


ATTTOBIOGRxlPHY 


Lieut.  Henry  Ossian  Flipper, 

TJ.   S.  J±„ 


FIRST    GRADUATE    OF    COLOR   FROM    THE 
U.  S.  MILITARY  ACADEMY. 


New  York  : 

HOMER    LEE    &    CO., 

65  Liberty  Street. 

1878. 


^  THS  LifcfiARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  NORTH  CAROLS 
AT  HHAPR  Mil  i 


Copyright,  1878,  Hosier  Lee  &  Co. 


TO 

Z\t  cjfatulfjr  of  Atlanta  Hnikrsiiir,  ^Ulanfa,  @u.t 

AND    TO 

THE  PRESIDENT  IN  PARTICULAR, 

TO    'WHOSE    CAREFUL 

MENTAL    AND    MORAL    TRAINING    OF    MYSELF    IS    DUE    ALL 

MY    SUCCESS   AT    THE    MILITARY   ACADEMY 

AT  WEST  POINT,   N.  Y., 

J  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATE   THIS    VOLUME, 

AS    IN    SOME    SORT 

A   TOKEN    OF   THAT  HEARTFELT   GRATITUDE  WHICH 

I    SO    DEEPLY   FEEL,    BUT    CAN    SO 

POORLY    EXPRESS. 


CONTENTS. 


TAGE 

Retrospect,       ..........  7 

Communications,  etc, 17 

Reporting, 80 

Cant  Terms, 49 

Pleee  Camp, 57 

Studies,  etc., 73 

Yearling  Camp, 102 

First  Class  Camp, 108 

Our  Future  Heroes,       ...               ....  115 

Treatment, 117 

Resume^               1GG 

Pleasures  and  Privileges, 187 

Furlough, 203 

Incident,  Humor,  etc., 207 

Graduation — ln  the  Army, .  238 

Smith  at  West  Polnt,         ....  288 


PREFACE. 


The  following  pages  were  written  by  request.  They 
claim  to  give  an  accurate  and  impartial  narrative  of  my 
four  years'  life  while  a  cadet  at  West  Point,  as  well  as  a 
general  idea  of  the  institution  there.  They  are  almost  an 
exact  transcription  of  notes  taken  at  various  times  during 
those  four  years.  Any  inconsistencies,  real  or  apparent, 
in  my  opinions  or  in  the  impressions  made  upon  me,  are 
due  to  the  fact  that  they  were  made  at  different  times  at 
a  place  where  the  feelings  of  all  were  constantly  under- 
going material  change. 

They  do  not  pretend  to  merit.  Neither  are  they  writ- 
ten for  the  purpose  of  criticising  the  Military  Academy 
or  those  in  any  way  connected  with  it. 

My  "  notes"  have  been  seen  and  read.  If  I  please 
those  who  requested  me  to  publish  them  I  shall  be  con- 
tent, as  I  have  no  other  object  in  putting  them  before  the 
public.  H.  0.  F. 

Fort  Sill,  Indian  Ter.,  1878. 


THE  COLORED  CADET 


WEST  POINT. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

EETEOSPECT. 

« 

TTENRY  OSSIAN  FLIPPER,  the  eldest  of  five 
-■ — *-  brothers,  and  the  subject  of  this  narrative,  was 
born  in  Thomasville,  Thomas  County,  Georgia,  on 
the  21st  day  of  March,  1856.  He  and  his  mother 
were  the  property  (?)  of  Rev.  Reuben  H.  Lucky,  a 
Methodist  minister  of  that  place.  His  father,  Festus 
Flipper,  by  trade  a  shoemaker  and  carriage-trimmer, 
Was  owned  by  Ephraim  Gr.  Ponder,  a  successful  and 
influential  slave- dealer. 

In  1859  Mr.  Ponder,  having  retired  from  business, 
returned  to  Georgia  from  Virginia  with  a  number  of 
mechanics,  all  slaves,  and  among  whom  was  the 
father  of  young  Flipper.  He  established  a  number 
of  manufactories  in  Atlanta,  then  a  growing  inland 
town  of  Georgia.  He  married  about  this  time  a 
beautiful,  accomplished,  and  wealthy  lady.  "  Flip- 
per" as  he  was  generally  called,  had  married  before 
this,  and  had  been  taken  back  alone  to  his  native 


8  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

Virginia  to  serve  an  apprenticeship  under  a  carriage  - 
trimmer.  This  served,  Mr.  Ponder  joined  his  wife 
in  Thomasville,  bringing  with  him,  as  stated,  a  num- 
ber of  mechanics. 

All  were  soon  ready  for  transportation  to  Atlanta 
except  "  Flipper."  As  he  and  his  wife  were  each 
the  property  (?)  of  different  persons,  there  v/as,  under 
the  circumstances,  every  probability  of  a  separation. 
This,  of  course,  would  be  to  them  most  displeasing. 
Accordingly  an  application  was  made  to  Mr.  Ponder 
to  purchase  the  wife  and  son.  This  he  was,  he  said, 
unable  to  do.  He  had,  at  an  enormous  expense, 
procured  and  fitted  up  a  home,  and  his  coffers  were 
nearly,  if  not  quite,  empty.  Husband  and  wife  then 
appealed  to  Mr.  Lucky.  He,  too,  was  avefse  to  part- 
ing them,  but  could  not,  at  the  great  price  asked  for 
him,  purchase  the  husband.  He  was  willing,  how- 
ever, to  sell  the  wife.  An  agreement  was  finally 
made  by  which  the  husband  paid  from  his  own 
pocket  the  purchase-money  of  his  own  wife  and 
child,  this  sum  to  be  returned  to  him  by  Mr.  Ponder 
whenever  convenient.  The  joy  of  the  wife  can  be 
conceived.     It  can  not  be  expressed. 

In  due  time  all  arrived  at  Atlanta,  where  Mr. 
Ponder  had  purchased  about  twenty-five  acres  of 
land  and  had  erected  thereon,  at  great  expense,  a 
superb  mansion  for  his  own  family,  a  number  of  sub- 
stantial frame  dwellings  for  his  slaves,  and  three 
large  buildings  for  manufacturing  purposes. 

Of  sixty -five  slaves  nearly  all  of  the  men  were 
mechanics.  All  of  them  except  the  necessary  house- 
hold servants,  a  gardener,  and  a  coachman,  were  per- 
mitted to  hire  their  own  time.     Mr.  Ponder  would 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  9 

have  absolutely  nothing  to  do  with  their  business 
other  than  to  protect  them.  So  that  if  any  one 
wanted  any  article  of  their  manufacture  they  con- 
tracted with  the  workman  and  paid  him  his  own 
price.  These  bond  people  were  therefore  virtually 
free.  They  acquired  and  accumulated  wealth,  lived 
happily,  and  needed  but  two  other  things  to  make 
them  like  other  human  beings,  viz.,  absolute  free- 
dom and  education.     But 

"  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform. ' ' 

And  through  that  very  mysteriousness  this  people 
was  destined  to  attain  to  the  higher  enjoyment  of 
life.  The  country,  trembling  under  the  agitation  of 
the  slave  question,  was  steadily  seeking  a  condition 
of  equilibrium  which  could  be  stable  only  in  the 
complete  downfall  of  slavery.  Unknown,  to  them, 
yet  existing,  the  great  question  of  the  day  was  grad- 
ually being  solved  ;  and  in  its  solution  was  working 
out  the  salvation  of  an  enslaved  people.  Well  did 
that  noblest  of  women,  Mrs.  Julia  Ward  Howe,  sing 
a  few  years  after  : 

' '  Mine  eyes  have  seen  the  glory  of  the  coming  of  the  Lord  ; 
He  is  tramping  out  the  vintage  where  the  grapes  of  wrath  are 

stored  ; 
He  hath  loosed  the  fateful  lightning  of  his  terrible  swift  sword  ; 
This  truth  is  marching  on. 

"  I  have  seen  him  in  the  watch-fires  of  a  hundred  circling  camps  ; 
They  have  builded  him  an  altar  in  the  evening  dews  and  damps  ; 
I  can  read  his  righteous  sentence  by  the  dim  and  flaring  lamps  ; 
His  day  is  marching  on. 

"  I  have  read  a  fiery  gospel,  writ  in  burnished  rows  of  steel ; 
'  As  ye  deal  with  my  contemners,  so  with  you  my  grace  shall  deal  \ 
Let  the  Hero,  born  of  woman,  crush  the  serpent  with  his  heel, 
Since  God  is  marching  on.' 


10       THE  COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

"  He  hath  sounded  forth  the  trumpet  that  shall  never  call  retreat ; 
He  is  sifting  out  the  hearts  of  men  before  his  judgment-seat ; 
Oh  !  be  swift  my  soul  to  answer  him  !  be  jubilant  my  feet  ! 
Our  God  is  marching  on. 
"  In  the  beauty  of  the  lilies,  Christ  was  born  across  the  sea, 
With  a  glory  in  his  bosom  that  transfigures  you  and  me  ; 
As  he  died  to  make  men  holy,  let  us  die  to  make  men  free, 
While  God  is  marching  on." 

Another  influence  was  as  steadily  tending  to  the 
same  end.  Its  object  was  to  educate,  to  elevate  in- 
tellectually, and  then  to  let  the  power  thus  acquired 
act. 

The  mistress  of  this  fortunate  household,  far  from 
discharging  the  duties  and  functions  of  her  station, 
left  them  unnoticed,  and  devoted  her  whole  atten- 
tion to  illegitimate  pleasures.  The  outraged  husband 
appointed  a  guardian  and  returned  broken-hearted 
to  the  bosom  of  his  own  family,  and  devoted  him- 
self till  death  to  agricultural  pursuits. 

The  nature  of  the  marriage  contract  prevented  the 
selling  of  any  of  the  property  without  the  mutual 
consent  of  husband  and  wife.  No  such  consent  was 
ever  asked  for  by  either.  No  one  was,  therefore,  in 
that  state  of  affairs,  afraid  of  being  sold  away  from 
his  or  her  relatives,  although  their  mistress  fre- 
quently threatened  so  to  sell  them.  "I'll  send 
you  to  Red  River"  was  a  common  menace  of  hers, 
but  perfectly  harmless,  for  all  knew,  as  well  as  she 
did,  that  it  was  impossible  to  carry  it  into  execution. 

In  this  condition  of  affairs  the  "  servants"  were 
even  more  contented  than  ever.  They  hired  their 
time,  as  usual,  and  paid  their  wages  to  their  mis- 
tress, whose  only  thought  or  care  was  to  remember 
when  it  became  due,  and  then  to  receive  it. 


THE   COLOEED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  11 

The  guardian,  an  influential  stockholder  in  sev- 
eral railroads,  and  who  resided  in  another  city,  made 
periodical  visits  to  inspect  and  do  whatever  was 
necessary  to  a  proper  discharge  of  his  duties. 

Circumstances  being  highly  favorable,  one  of  the 
mechanics,  who  had  acquired  the  rudiments  of  an 
education,  applied  to  this  dissolute  mistress  for  per- 
mission to  teach  the  children  of  her  "servants." 
She  readily  consented,  and,  accordingly,  a  night- 
school  was  opened  in  the  very  woodshop  in  which 
he  worked  by  day.  Here  young  Flipper  was 
initiated  into  the  first  of  the  three  mysterious  R'  s, 
viz.,  "  reading  Witing  and  Arithmetic"  Here,  in 
1864,  at  eight  years  of  age,  his  education  began. 
And  the  first  book  he  ever  studied — I  dare  say  ever 
saw — was  a  confederate  reprint  of  Webster's  "  Blue- 
'baclc  Speller.''''  His  then  tutor  has  since  graduated 
at  Westminster  College  in  Pennsylvania,  and  is,  at  the 
time  of  this  writing,  United  States  Consul  at  Malaga, 
Spain,  having  served  in  the  same  capacity  for  four 
years  at  Port  Mahon,  Spain. 

But  alas  !  even  this  happy  arrangement  was  des- 
tined to  be  disturbed.  This  dissolute  mistress  and 
her  slaves,  with  all  valuable  movable  property,  were 
compelled  to  flee  before  Sherman's  victorious  arms. 
Macon,  a  city  just  one  hundred  and  three  miles 
south-east  of  Atlanta,  became  the  new  home  of  the 
Flippers.  A  spacious  dwelling  was  secured  in  West 
Macon.  In  a  part  of  this  was  stored  away  Mrs. 
Ponder' s  plate  and  furniture,  under  the  guardian- 
ship of  Flipper,  who  with  his  family  occupied  the 
rest  of  the  house.  Here  all  was  safe.  The  terrible 
fate  of  Atlanta  was  not  extended  to  Macon.     The 


12  THE    COLORED    CADET   AT   WEST   POINT. 

only  cause  of  alarm  was  Wilson,  who  approached 
the  city  from  the  east,  and,  having  thrown  in  a  few 
shells,  withdrew  without  doing  further  damage  or 
being  molested.  Every  body  was  frightened,  and  it 
was  deemed  advisable  to  transfer  Mrs.  Ponder' s  ef- 
fects to  Fort  Valley,  a  small  place  farther  south. 
However,  before  this  could  be  done,  it  became  indis- 
putably known  that  Wilson  had  withdrawn. 

After  an  uneventful  stay — other  than  this  inci- 
dent just  related — of  nine  months  in  Macon,  the 
office  of  custodian  was  resigned,  and  although  yet  a 
slave,  as  far  as  he  knew,  and  without  permission 
from  any  one,  Flipper  returned  to  Atlanta  with 
his  wife  and  two  sons,  Henry,  the  elder,  and  Joseph, 
the  younger.  This  was  in  the  spring  of  1865. 
Atlanta  was  in  ruins,  and  it  appeared  a  dreary  place 
indeed  to  start  anew  on  the  unfinished  journey  of 
life.  Every  thing  was  not  destroyed,  however.  A 
few  houses  remained.  One  of  these  was  occupied. 
The  people  were  rapidly  returning,  and  the  railroads 
from  Atlanta  were  rapidly  being  rebuilt. 

During  all  this  time  the  education  of  the  young 
Flippers  had  been  necessarily  neglected.  In  the  early 
spring  of  1865,  the  family  of  an  ex-rebel  captain  be- 
came neighbors  of  the  Flippers,  now  well  to  do,  and 
were  soon  on  the  most  friendly  terms  with  them .  With 
remarkable  condescension  the  wife  of  this  ex-rebel 
offered  to  instruct. Henry  and  Joseph  for  a  small  re- 
muneration. The  offer  was  readily  and  gladly  ac- 
cepted, and  the  education  of  the  two,  so  long  neg- 
lected, was  taken  up  again.  This  private  school  of 
only  two  pupils  existed  but  a  short  time.  The 
American  Missionary  Association  having  opened  bet- 


THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  13 

ter  schools,  the  Flippers  were,  in  March,  1866,  trans- 
ferred to  them.  They  attended  school  there  till  in 
1867  the  famous  Storrs'  School  was  opened  under 
the  control  of  the  American  Missionary  Association, 
when  they  went  there.  In  1869,  the  Atlanta  Uni- 
versity having  been  opened  nnder  the  same  auspices, 
they  entered  there.  At  the  time  of  receiving  his  ap- 
pointment Henry  was  a  member  of  the  freshman 
class  of  the  collegiate  department.  His  class  grad- 
uated there  in  June,  1876,  just  one  year  before  he 
did  at  West  Point. 

The  following  article  from  a  Thomasville  paper, 
published  in  June,  1874,  will  give  further  information 
concerning  his  early  life  : 

"  '  It  is  not  generally  known  that  Atlanta  lias  a  negro  cadet  at  the 
United  States  National  Military  Academy  at  West  Point.  This  cadet 
is  a  mulatto  boy  named  Flipper.  He  is  about  twenty  years  old,  a 
stoutish  fellow,  weighing  perhaps  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  and 
a  smart,  bright,  intelligent  boy.  His  father  is  a  shoemaker,  and  gave 
him  the  euphonious  name  of  Henry  Ossian  Flipper. 

"  '  Flipper  has  been  at  the  great  soldier  factory  of  the  nation  for  a 
year.  He  was  recommended  there  by  our  late  Congressman  from 
the  Fifth  District,  the  Hon.  J.  C.  Freeman.  Flipper  has  made  a 
right  booming  student.  In  a  class  of  ninety-nine  he  stood  about  the 
middle,  and  triumphantly  passed  his  examination,  and  has  risen  from 
the  fourth  to  the  third  class  without  difficulty. 

' ' '  The  only  two  colored  boys  at  the  Academy  were  the  famous 
Smith  and  the  Atlanta  Flipper.  It  is  thought  that  Smith  at  the  last 
examination  failed.  If  so,  Atlanta  will  have  the  distinguished  honor 
of  having  the  sole  African  representative  at  West  Point. 

"  '  Flipper  has  had  the  privilege  of  eating  at  the  same  table  with  the 
poor  white  trash  ;  but  Smith  and  Flipper  bunked  together  in  the  same 
room  alone,  without  white  companions. 

"'  It  is  an  astonishing  fact  that,  socially,  the  boys  from  the  North- 
ern and  Western  States  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  these  colored 
brothers.  Flipper  and  Smith  were  socially  ostracized.  Not  even  the 
Massachusetts  boys  will  associate  with  them.     Smith  has  been  a  little 


14  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

rebellious,  and  attempted  to  thrust  himself  ou  the  white  boys  ;  but 
the  sensible  Flipper  accepted  the  situation,  and  proudly  refused  to 
intrude  himself  on  the  white  boys. 

"  '  The  feeling  of  ostracism  is  so  strong  that  a  white  boy  who  dared 
to  recognize  a  colored  cadet  would  be  himself  ostracized  by  the  other 
white  cubs,  even  of  radical  extraction. ' 

"  We  copy  the  above  from  the  Atlanta  HercM  of  last  week,  for  the 
purpose  of  remarking  that  among  colored  men  we  know  of  none 
more  honorable  or  more  deserving  than  Flipper,  the  father  of  the  col- 
ored West  Point  student  of  that  name.  Flipper  lived  for  many  years 
in  Thomasville  as  the  servant  of  Mr.  E.  G-.  Ponder— was  the  best 
bootmaker  we  ever  knew,  and  his  character  and  deportment  were 
ever  those  of  a  sensible,  unassuming,  gentlemanly  white  man.  Flip- 
per possessed  the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  master  and  all  who 
knew  him.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  young  Flipper,  was  Isabella,  a 
servant  in  the  family  of  Rev.  R.  H.  Lucky,  of  Thomasville,  and  bore 
a  character  equal  to  that  of  her  husband.  Young  Flipper  was  bap- 
tized in  his  infancy  by  the  venerable  Bishop  Early.  From  these  an- 
tecedents we  should  as  soon  expect  young  Flipper  to  make  his  mark 
as  any  other  colored  youth  in  the  country." 

(From  the  Louisville  Ledger.) 

"  It  is  just  possible  that  some  of  our  readers  may  not  know  who 
Flipper  is.  For  their  benefit  we  make  haste  to  explain  that  Flip- 
per is  the  solitary  colored  cadet  now  at  West  Point.  He  is  in  the 
third  class,  and  stands  forty-six  in  the  class,  which  numbers  eighty- 
five  members.  This  is  a  very  fair  standing,  and  Flipper's  friends 
declare  that  he  is  getting  along  finely  in  his  studies,  and  that  he  is 
quite  up  to  the  standard  of  the  average  West  Point  student.  Never- 
theless they  intimate  that  he  will  never  graduate.  Flipper,  they 
say,  may  get  as  far  as  the  first  class,  but  there  he  will  be  '  slaugh- 
tered. ' 

"A  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Times  takes  issue  with  this 
opinion.  He  says  there  are  many  '  old  heads '  who  believe  Flipper 
will  graduate  with  honor,  and  he  thinks  so  too.  The  grounds  for  his 
belief,  as  he  gives  them,  are  that  the  officers  are  gentlemen,  and  so  are 
the  professors  ;  that  they  believe  merit  should  be  rewarded  wherever 
found  ;  and  that  they  all  speak  well  of  Flipper,  who  is  a  hard  stu- 
dent, as  his  position  in  his  class  proves.  From  this  correspondent  we 
learn  that  Flipper  is  from  Georgia  ;  that  he  has  a  light,  coffee-colored 


THE  COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST  POINT,       15 

complexion,  and  that  he  '  minds  his  business  and  docs  not  intrude  his 
company  upon  the  other  cadets,'  though  why  this  should  be  put 
down  in  the  list  of  his  merits  it  is  not  easy  to  understand,  since,  if  he 
graduates,  as  this  writer  believes  he  will,  he  will  have  the  right  to 
associate  on  terms  of  perfect  equality  with  the  other  cadets,  and  may 
in  time  come  to  command  some  of  them.  We  are  afraid  there  is 
some  little  muddle  of  inconsistency  in  the  brain  of  the  Times'  corre- 
spondent. 

"The  Chicago  Tribune  seems  to  find  it  difficult  to  come  to  any 
conclusion  concerning  Flipper's  chances  for  graduating.  It  says  : 
'  It  is  freely  asserted  that  Flipper  will  never  be  allowed  to  graduate  ; 
that  the  prejudice  of  the  regular  army  instructors  against  the  colored 
race  is  insurmountable,  and  that  they  will  drive  away  from  the 
Academy  by  persecution  of  some  petty  sort  any  colored  boy  who 
may  obtain  admittance  there.  The  story  does  not  seem  to  have  any 
substantial  basis  ;  still,  it  possesses  considerable  vitality.' 

"  We  don't  profess  to  understand  exactly  what  sort  of  a  story  that 
is  which  has  '  considerable  vitality '  without  any  substantial  basis, 
and  can  only  conclude  that  the  darkness  of  the  subject  has  engendered 
a  little  confusion  in  the  mind  of  the  Tribune  as  well  as  in  that  of  the 
writer  of  the  Times.  But  the  Tribune  acquires  more  confidence  as  it 
warms  in  the  discussion,  and  it  assures  us  finally  that  '  there  is,  of 
course,  no  doubt  that  some  colored  boys  are  capable  of  receiving  a 
military  education  ;  and  eventually  the  presence  of  colored  officers 
in  the  regular  army  must  be  an  accepted  fact.'  Well,  we  don't  know 
about  that  '  accepted  fact. '  The  white  man  is  mighty  uncertain, 
and  the  nigger  won't  do  to  trust  to,  in  view  of  which  truths  it  would 
be  unwise  to  bet  too  high  on  the  '  colored  officers/  for  some  years  to 
come  at  least. 

"  But  let  not  Flipper  wring  his  flippers  in  despair,  notwithstand- 
ing. Let  him  think  of  Smith,  and  take  heart  of  hope.  Smith  was  an- 
other colored  cadet  who  was  sent  to  West  Point  from  South  Carolina. 
Smith  mastered  readin',  'ritin',  and  'rithmetic,  but  chemistry  mas- 
tered Smith.*  They  gave  him  three  trials,  but  it  was  to  no  purpose  ; 
so  they  had  to  change  his  base  and  send  him  back  to  South  Carolina. 
But  what  of  that  ?  They've  just  made  him  inspector  of  militia  in 
South  Carolina,  with  the  rank  of  brigadier-general.      How    long 

*  Cadet  Smith  failed  in  Natural  and  Experimental  Philosophy.  In  Chemistry  he 
was  up  to  the  average.  He  was  never  appointed  Inspector- General  of  South  Caro- 
lina. He  was  Commandant  of  Cadets  in  the  South  Carolina  Agricultural  Institute 
at  Orangeburg,  S.  C,  which  position  he  held  till  his  death  November  29th,  187G. 


16  THE   COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

might  he  have  remained  in  the  army  before  he  would  have  become 
'  General  Smith  ? '  Why,  even  Fred  Grant's  only  a  lieutenant- 
colonel.  Smith  evidently  has  reason  to  congratulate  himself  upon 
being  '  plucked  ; '  and  so  the  young  gentleman  from  Georgia,  with 
the  '  light,  coffee-colored  complexion,'  if  he  meets  with  a  similar 
misfortune,  may  console  himself  with  the  hope  that  to  him  also  in  his 
extremity  will  be  extended  from  some  source  a  helping  flipper." 


CHAPTER  II. 

COMMUNICATIONS,    ETC. 


3i 


TTAYING  given  in  the  previous  chapter  a  brief 
-■ — ■-  account  of  myself — dropping  now,  by  permis- 
sion, the  third  person — prior  to  my  appointment,  I 
shall  here  give  in  full  what  led  me  to  seek  that  ap- 
pointment, and  how  I  obtained  it.  It  was  while  sit- 
ting "in  his  father's  quiet  shoeshop  on  Decatur 
Street " — as  a  local  paper  had  it — that  I  overheard  a 
conversation  concerning  the  then  cadet  from  my  own 
district.  In  the  course  of  the  conversation  I  learned 
that  this  cadet  was  to  graduate  the  following  June  ; 
and  that  therefore  a  vacancy  would  occur.  This 
was  in  the  autumn  of  1872,  and  before  the  election. 
It  occurred  to  me  that  I  might  fill  that  vacancy,  and 
I  accordingly  determined  to  make  an  endeavor  to  do 
so,  provided  the  Republican  nominee  for  Congress 
should  be  elected.  He  was  elected.  I  applied  for 
and  obtained  the  appointment.  In  1865  or  1866 — I 
do  not  now  remember  which  :  perhaps  it  was  even 
later  than  either—  it  was  suggested  to  my  father  to 
send  me  to  "West  Point.  He  was  unwilling  to  do  so, 
and,  not  knowing  very  much  about  the  place,  was 
reluctant  to  make  any  inquiries.  I  was  then  of 
course  too  young  for  admission,  being  only  ten  or 
twelve  years  old  ;  and  knowing  nothing  of  the  place 
myself,  I  did  not  care  to  venture  the  attempt  to  be- 
come a  cadet. 


18  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

At  the  time  I  obtained  the  appointment  I  had 
quite  forgotten  this  early  recommendation  of  my 
father's  friend  ;  indeed,  I  did  not  recall  it  until  I 
began  compiling  my  manuscript. 

The  suggestion  given  me  by  the  conversation 
above  mentioned  was  at  once  acted  upon,  and  de- 
cision made  in  a  very  short  time  ;  and  so  fully  was 
I  determined,  so  absolutely  was  my  mind  set  on 
West  Point,  that  I  persisted  in  my  desire  even  to 
getting  the  appointment,  staying  at  the  Academy 
four  years,  and  finally  graduating.  The  following 
communications  will  explain  how  I  got  the  appoint- 
ment. * 

Reply  No.  1 

Griffin,  January  23,  1873. 
Mr.  H.  O.  Flifper. 

Dear  Sir  :  Your  letter  of  the  21st,  asking  me,  as  member-elect  to 
Congress  from  this  State,  to  appoint  you  cadet  to  West  Point,  was 
received  this  morning.  You  are  a  stranger  to  me,  and  before  I  can 
comply  with  your  request  you  must  get  your  teacher,  Mr.  James  L. 
Dunning,  P.M.,  Colonel  H.  P.  Fanorr,  and  other  Republicans  to 
indorse  for  you.  Give  me  assurance  you  are  worthy  and  well  quali- 
fied and  I  will  recommend  you. 

Yours  respectfully, 

J.  C.  Freeman. 
Reply  No,  2. 

Griffin,  March  22,  1873. 
Mr.  H.  0.  Flipper.         , 

Dear  Sir  :  On  my  arrival  from  Washington  I  found  your  letter 
of  the  19th.  I  have  received  an  invitation  from  the  War  Department 
to  appoint,  or  nominate,  a  legally  qualified  cadet  to  the  United  States 
Military  Academy  from  my  district. 

*  It  has  been  impossible  for  the  author  to  obtain  copies  of  his 
own  letters  to  the  Hon.  Congressman  who  appointed  him,  which  is 
to  be  regretted.  The  replies  are  inserted  in  such  order  that  they  will 
readily  suggest  the  tenor  of  the  first  communications. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  19 

As  you  were  the  first  applicant,  I  am  disposed  to  give  you  the  first 
chance  ;  but  the  requirements  are  rigid  and  strict,  and  I  think  you 
had  best  come  down  and  see  them.  If  after  reading  them  you  think 
you  can  undergo  the  examination  without  doubt,  I  will  nominate 
you.  But  I  do  not  want  my  nominee  to  fail  to  get  in. 
Yours  very  respectfully, 

J.  C.  Freeman. 
Beply  No.  3. 

Griffin,  Ga.,  March  26,  1873. 
Mr.  H.  O.  Flipper. 

Dear  Sir  :  Your  letter  of  the  24th  to  hand,  and  contents  noted. 
While  your  education  may  be  sufficient,  it  requires  many  other  quali- 
fications— such  as  age,  height,  form,  etc. ;  soundness  of  lungs,  limbs, 
etc.  I  will  send  you  up  the  requirements,  if  you  desire  them,  and  call 
upon  three  competent  gentlemen  to  examine  you,  if  you  desire  it. 
Let  me  hear  from  you  again  on  the  subject. 

Yours  respectfully, 

J.  C.  Freeman. 
Beply  No.  4. 

Griffin,  March  28,  1873. 
Mr.  H.  0.  Flipper. 

Dear  Sir  :  Yours  of  26th  at  hand.  I  have  concluded  to  send  the 
paper  sent  me  to  J.  A.Holtzclaw,  of  Atlanta,  present  Collector  of  Inter- 
nal Revenue.  You  can  call  on  him  and  examine  for  yourself.  If 
you  then  think  you  can  pass,  I  will  designate  three  men  to  examine 
you,  and  if  they  pronounce  you  up  to  the  requirements  I  will  ap- 
point you. 

Yours  truly, 

J.  C.  Freeman. 
Reply  No.  5. 

Griffin,  April  5,  1873. 
Mr.  II.  0.  Flipper. 

Dear  Sir  :  The  board  of  examiners  pronounce  you  qualified  to 
enter  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point.  You  will  oblige  me  by 
sending  me  your  given  name  in  full,  also  your  age  to  a  month,  and 
the  length  of  time  you  have  lived  in  the  Fifth  District,  or  in  or  near 
Atlanta.  I  will  appoint  you,  and  send  on  the  papers  to  the  Secretary 
of  War,  who  will  notif y  you  of  the  same.  From  his  letter  to  me  you 
will  have  to  be  at  West  Point  by  the  25th  day  of  May,  1873. 
Yours  respectfully, 

J.  C.  FREEMA2T. 

P.S. — You  can  send  letter  to  me  without  a  stamp. 


20  THE   COLOKED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

Beply  M.  6. 

Griffin,  April  17,  1873. 
Mr.  Henry  O.  Flipper. 

Dear  Sir  :  I  this  day  inclose  you  papers  from  the  War  Depart- 
ment. You  can  carefully  read  and  then  make  up  your  mind  "whether 
you  accept  the  position  assigned  you.  If  you  should  sign  up,  direct 
and  forward  to  proper  authorities,  Washington,  D.  C.  If  you  do  not 
accept,  return  the  paper  to  my  address,  Griffin,  Ga. 
I  am  yours  very  respectfully, 

J.  C.  Freeman. 

The  papers,  three  in  number,  referred  to  in  the 

above  letter,  are  the  following  : 

War  Department,        ) 
Washington,  April  11,  1873.  f 

Sir  :  You  are  hereby  informed  that  the  President  has  conditionally 
selected  you  for  appointment  as  a  Cadet  of  the  United  States  Military 
Academy  at  West  Point. 

Should  you  desire  the  appointment,  you  will  report  in  person  to 
the  Superintendent  of  the  Academy  between  the  20th  and  25th  days 
of  May,  1873,  when,  if  found  on  due  examination  to  possess  the 
qualifications  required  by  law  and  set  forth  in  the  circular  hereunto 
appended,  you  will  be  admitted,  with  pay  from  July  1st,  1873,  to 
serve  until  the  following  January,  at  which  time  you  will  be  exam- 
ined before  the  Academic  Board  of  the  Academy.  Should  the  result 
of  this  examination  be  favorable,  and  the  reports  of  your  personal, 
military,  and  moral  deportment  be  satisfactory,  your  warrant  of  ap- 
pointment, to  be  dated  July  1st,  1873,  will  be  delivered  to  you  ;  but 
should  the  result  of  your  examination,  or  your  conduct  reports  be 
unfavorable,  you  will  be  discharged  from  the  military  service,  unless 
otherwise  recommended,  for  special  reasons,  by  the  Academic  Board, 
but  will  receive  an  allowance  for  travelling  expenses  to  your  home. 

Your  attention  is  particularly  directed  to  the  accompanying  circu- 
lar, and  it  is  to  be  distinctly  understood  that  this  notification  confers 
upon  you  no  right  to  enter  the  Military  Academy  unless  your  qualifi- 
cations agree  fully  with  its  requirements,  and  unless  you  report  for 
examination  within  the  time  specified. 

You  are  requested  to  immediately  inform  the  Department  of  your 
acceptance  or  declination  of  the  contemplated  appointment  upon  the 
conditions  annexed. 

Geo.  M.  Robeson, 

Acting  Secretary  of  War. 
Henry  O.  Flipper,  Atlanta,  Georgia. 

Through  Hon.  J.  C.  Freeman,  M.C. 


THE    COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  21 

CIRCULAR. 

1.  Candidates  must  be  actual  bona  fide  residents  of  the  Congres- 
sional district  or  Territory  for  which  their  appointments  are  made, 
and  must  be  over  seventeen  and  under  twenty-two  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  entrance  into  the  Military  Academy  ;  but  any  person  who  has 
served  honorably  and  faithfully  not  less  than  one  year  as  an  officer  or 
enlisted  man  in  the  army  of  the  United  States,  either  as  a  Volunteer, 
or  in  the  Regular  service,  during  the  war  for  the  suppression  of  the 
rebellion,  shall  be  eligible  for  appointment  up  to  the  age  of  twenty- 
four  years.  They  must  be  at  least  five  feet  in  height,  and  free  from 
any  infectious  or  immoral  disorder,  and,  generally,  from  any  deform- 
ity, disease,  or  infirmity  which  may  render  them  unfit  for  arduous 
military  service.  They  must  be  proficient  in  Beading  and  Writing  ;  in 
the  elements  of  English  Grammar  ;  in  Descriptive  Geography,  particu- 
larly of  our  own  country,  and  in  the  History  of  the  United  States. 

In  Arithmetic,  the  various  operations  in  addition,  subtraction,  mul- 
tiplication, and  division,  reduction,  simple  and  compound  proportion, 
and  vulgar  and  decimal  fractions,  must  be  thoroughly  understood  and 
readily  performed. 

The  following  are  the  leading  physical  disqualifications  : 
:  1.  Feeble  constitution  and  muscular  tenuity  ;    unsound  health 
from  whatever  cause  ;  indications  of  former  disease  ;  glandular  swell- 
ings, or  other  symptoms  of  scrofula. 

2.  Chronic  cutaneous  affections,  especially  of  the  scalp. 

3.  Severe  injuries  of  the  bones  of  the  head  ;  convulsions. 

4.  Impaired  vision,  from  whatever  cause  ;  inflammatory  affections 
of  the  eyelids  ;  immobility  or  irregularity  of  the  iris  ;  fistula,  lachry- 
malis,  etc.,  etc. 

5.  Deafness  ;  copious  discharge  from  the  ears. 

G.  Loss  of  many  teeth,  or  the  teeth  generally  unsound. 

7.  Impediment  of  speech. 

8.  Want  of  due  capacity  of  the  chest,  and  any  other  indication  of 
a  liability  to  a  pulmonic  disease. 

9.  Impaired  or  inadequate  efficiency  of  one  or  both  of  the  superior 
extremities  on  account  of  fractures,  especially  of  the  clavicle,  con- 
traction of  a  joint,  extenuation,  deformity,  etc.,  etc. 

10.  An  unusual  excurvature  or  incurvature  of  the  spine. 

11.  Hernia. 

12.  A  varicose  state  of  the  veins  of  the  scrotum  or  spermatic  cord 
(when  large),  sarcocele,  hydrocele,  hemorrhoids,  fistulas. 

13.  Impaired  or  inadequate  efficiency  of  one  or  of  both  of  the  in- 


22  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  "WEST  POINT. 

ferior  extremities  on  account  of  varicose  veins,  fractures,  malforma- 
tion (flat  feet,  etc.),  lameness,  contraction,  unequal  length,  bunions, 
overlying  or  supernumerary  toes,  etc.,  etc. 

14.  Ulcers,  or  unsound  cicatrices  of  ulcers  likely  to  break  out 
afresh. 

Every  person  appointed,  upon  arrival  at  West  Point,  is  submitted 
to  a  rigid  medical  examination,  and  if  any  causes  of  disqualification 
are  found  to  exist  in  him  to  such  a  degree  as  may  now  or  hereafter 
impair  his  efficiency,  he  is  rejected. 

No  person  who  has  served  in  anjr  capacity  in  the  military  or  naval 
service  of  the  so-called  Confederate  States  during  the  late  rebellion 
can  receive  an  appointment  as  cadet  at  the  Military  Academy. 

II.  The  pay  of  a  cadet  is  $500  per  annum,  with  one  ration  per 
day,  to  commence  with  his  admission  into  the  Military  Academy,  and 
is  sufficient,  with  proper  economy,  for  his  support. 

III.  Each  cadet  must  keep  himself  supplied  with  the  following 
mentioned  articles,  viz.  : 

One  gray  cloth  coatee  ;  one  gray  cloth  riding -jacket ;  one  regulation  great-coat  ; 
two  pairs  of  gray  cloth  pantaloons,  for  winter  ;  six  pairs  of  drilling  pantaloons  for 
summer  ;  one  fatigue- jacket  for  the  encampment ;  one  black  dress  cap  ;  one  forage 
cap  ;  one  black  stock  ;  *two  pairs  of  ankle-boots  ;  *six  pairs  of  white  gloves  ;  two 
sets  of  white  belts  ;  *seven  shirts  and  twelve  collars  ;  *six  pairs  winter  socks  ;  *six 
pairs  summer  socks  ;  *four  pairs  summer  drawers  ;  *three  pairs  winter  drawers  ; 
*six  pocket-handkerchiefs  ;  *six  towels  ;  *one  clothes-bag,  made  of  ticking ;  *one 
clothes-brush ;  *one  hair-brush  ;  *one  tooth-brush  ;  *one  comb  ;  one  mattress  ; 
one  pillow  ;  *two  pillow-cases  ;  *two  pairs  sheets  ;  *one  pair  blankets  ;  *one  quilted 
bed-cover  ;  one  chair ;  one  tumbler ;  *one  trunk  ;  one  account-book  ;  and  will  unite 
with  his  room-mate  in  purchasing,  for  their  common  use,  one  looking-glass,  one 
wash-stand,  one  wash-basin,  one  pail,  and  one  broom,  and  shall  he  required  to  have 
one  table,  of  the  pattern  that  may  be  prescribed  by  the^Superintendent. 

The  articles  marked  thus  *  candidates  are  required  to  bring  with 
them  ;  the  others  are  to  be  had  at  West  Point  at  regulated  prices, 
and  it  is  better  for  a  candidate  to  take  with  him  as  little  clothing  of 
any  description  as  is  possible  (excepting  what  is  marked),  and  no 
more  money  than  will  defray  his  travelling  expenses ;  but  for  the 
parent  or  guardian  to  send  to  ' '  The  Treasurer  of  the  Military  Acad- 
emy" a  sum  sufficient  for  his  necessary  expenses  until  he  is  admitted, 
and  for  his  clothes,  etc.,  thereafter. 

The  expenses  of  the  candidate  for  board,  washing,  lights,  etc., 
prior  to  admission,  will  be  about  $5  per  week,  and  immediately  after 
being  admitted  to  the  Institution  he  must  be  provided  with  an  outfit 
of  uniform,  etc.,  the  cost  of  which  will  be  $88.79.     If,  upon  arrival, 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  23 

he  has  the  necessary  sum  to  his  credit  on  the  books  of  the  Treasurer, 
he  will  start  with  many  advantages,  in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view, 
over  those  whose  means  are  more  limited,  and  who  must,  if  they 
arrive,  as  many  do,  totally  unprovided  in  this  way,  go  in  debt  on  the 
credit  of  their  pay — a  burden  from  which  it  requires  many  months  to 
free  themselves  ;  while,  if  any  accident  compels  them  to  leave  the 
Academy,  they  must  of  necessity  be  in  a  destitute  condition. 

No  cadet  can  receive  money,  or  any  other  supplies,  from  his 
parents,  or  from  any  person  whomsoever,  without  permission  from 
the  Superintendent. 

IV.  If  the  candidate  be  a  minor,  his  acceptance  must  be  accom- 
panied by  the  written  consent  of  his  parent  or  guardian  to  his  signing 
articles,  binding  himself  to  serve  the  United  States  eight  years  from 
the  time  of  his  admission  into  the  Military  Academy,  unless  sooner 
discharged. 

V.  During  the  months  of  July  and  August  the  cadets  live  in 
camp,  engaged  only  in  military  duties  and  exercises  and  receiving 
practical  military  instruction. 

The  academic  duties  and  exercises  commence  on  the  1st  of  Sep- 
tember, and  continue  till  about  the  end  of  June. 

The  newly  appointed  cadets  are  examined  at  the  Academy  prior  to 
admission,  and  those  not  properly  qualified  are  rejected. 

Examinations  of  the  several  classes  are  held  in  January  and  June, 
and  at  the  former  such  of  the  new  cadets  as  are  found  proficient  in 
studies  and  have  been  correct  in  conduct  are  given  the  particular 
standing  in  their  class  to  which  their  merits  entitle  them.  After 
either  examination  cadets  found  deficient  in  conduct  or  studies  are 
discharged  from  the  Academy,  unless,  for  special  reasons  in  each 
case,  the  Academic  Board  should  otherwise  recommend. 

These  examinations  are  very  thorougb,  and  require  from  the  cadet 
a  close  and  persevering  attention  to  study,  without  evasion  or  slight- 
ing of  any  part  of  the  course,  as  no  relaxations  of  any  kind  can  be 
made  by  the  examiners. 

VI.  A  sound  body  and  constitution,  a  fixed  degree  of  preparation, 
good  natural  capacity,  an  aptitude  for  study,  industrious  habits,  perse- 
verance, an  obedient  and  orderly  disposition,  and  a  correct  moral 
deportment  are  such  essential  qualifications  that  candidates  know- 
ingly deficient  in  any  of  these  respects  should  not,  as  many  do,  sub- 
ject themselves  and  their  friends  to  the  chances  of  future  mortifica- 
tion and  disappointment,  by  accepting  appointments  to  the  Academy 
and  entering  upon  a  career  which  they  can  not  successfully  pursue. 


24:  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

Method  of  Examining  Candidates  for  Admission  into  the  Military 
Academy. 

Candidates  must  be  able  to  read  with  facility  from  any  book,  giving  the  proper 
intonation  and  pauses,  and  to  write  portions  that  are  read  aloud  for  that  purpose, 
spelling  the  words  and  punctuating  the  sentences  properly. 

In  Arithmetic  they  must  be  able  to  perform  with  facility  examples  under  the 
four  ground  rules,  and  hence  must  be  familiar  with  the  tables  of  addition,  subtrac- 
tion, multiplication,  and  division,  and  be  able  to  perform  examples  in  reduction  and 
in  vulgar  and  decimal  fractions,  such  as— 

Add  s  to  | ;  subtract  §  from  g  ;  multiply  £  by  | ;  divide  |  by  §. 

Add  together  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  thousandths  (.234),  twenty-six  thou- 
sandths (.028),  and  three  thousandths  (.003). 

Subtract  one  hundred  and  sixty-one  ten  thousandths  (.0161)  from  twenty-live 
hundredths  (.25). 

Multiply  or  divide  twenty-six  hundredths  (.26)  by  sixteen  thousandths  (.016). 

They  must  also  be  able  to  change  vulgar  fractions  into  decimal  fractions,  and  de- 
cimals into  vulgar  fractions,  with  examples  like  the  following  : 

Change  \%  into  a  decimal  fraction  of  the  same  value. 

Change  one  hundred  and  two  thousandths  (.102)  into  a  vulgar  fraction  of  the  same 
value.  - 

In  simple  and  compound  proportion,  examples  of  various  kinds  will  be  given, 
and  candidateswill.be  expected  to  understand  the  principles  of  the  rules  which  they 
follow. 

In  English  Grammar  candidates  will  be  required  to  exhibit  a  familiarity  with 
the  nine  parts  of  speech  and  the  rules  in  relation  thereto  ;  must  be  able  to  parse  any 
ordinary  sentence  given  to  them,  and,  generally,  must  understand  those  portions  of 
the  subject  usually  taught  in  the  higher  academies  and  schools  throughout  the 
country,  comprehended  under  the  heads  of  Orthography,  Etymology,  Syntax,  and 
Prosody. 

In  Descriptive  Geography  they  are  to  name,  locate,  and  describe  the  natural 
grand  and  political  divisions  of  the  earth,  and  be  able  to  delineate  any  one  of  the 
States  or  Territories  of  the  American  Union,  with  its  principal  cities,  rivers,  lakes, 
seaports,  and  mountains. 

In  History  they  must  be  able  to  name  the  periods  of  the  discovery  and  settle- 
ment of  the  North  American  continent,  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  United 
States,  and  of  the  successive  wars  and  political  administrations  through  which  the 
country  has  passed. 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT. 


25 


THE  COURSE  OF  STUDY  AND  BOOKS  USED  AT  THE 
MILITARY  ACADEMY. 

[Books  marked  thus  *  are  for  reference  only.] 
First  Year — Fourth  Class. 


DEPARTMENT. 

Mathematics 


'  French.  Language. 


Tactics  of  Artillery  and  Infan- 
try. 

Use  of  Small  Arms 


TEXT-BOOKS. 

Davies'  Bourdon's  Algebra.  Davies'  Legendre's 
Geometry  and  Trigonometry.  Church's  Descrip- 
tive Geometry. 

Bolmar's  Levizac's  Grammar  and  "Verb  Boole. 
Agnel's  Tabular  System.  Berard's  Lecons  Fran- 
chises.   *  Spier's  and  Surenne's  Dictionary. 

Practical  Instruction  in  the  Schools  of  the  Soldier, 
Company,  and  Battalion.  Practical  Instruction 
in  Artillery. 

Instruction  in  Fencing  and  Bayonet  Exercise. 


Second  Year — Third  Class. 


Mathematics 


French  Language. 


Spanish. 


Drawing 

Tactics   of  Infantry,  Artillery, 
and  Cavalry. 


Church's  Descriptive  Geometry,  with  its  applica- 
tion to  Spherical  Projections.  Church's  Shades, 
Shadows,  and  Perspective.  Davies'  Surveying. 
Church's  Analytical  Geometry.  Church's  Cal- 
culus. 

Bolmar's  Levizac's  Grammar  and  Verb  Book. 
Berard's  Lecons  Franeaises.  Chapsal's  Lecons 
et  Modeles  de  Littera'ture  Francaise.  Agnel's 
Tabular  System.  Eowan's  Morceaux  Cnoisis 
des  Auteurs  Modernes.  *  Spier's  and  Surenne's 
Dictionary. 

Josse's  Grammar.  Morales'  Progressive  Beader. 
Ollendorff's  Oral  Method  applied  to  the  Spanish, 
•by  Velasquez  and  Simonne.  *Seoane's  Ncu- 
man  and  Baretti's  Dictionary. 

Topography,  etc.    Art  of  Penmanship. 

Practical  Instruction  in  the  Schools  of  the  Soldier, 
Company,  and  Battalion.  Practical  Instruction 
in  Artillery  and  Cavalry. 


Third  Year — Second  Class. 


Natural  and  Experimental  Phil- 
osophy. 
Chemistry 

Drawing 

Tactics  "of  Artillery,    Cavalry, 
and  Infantry. 


Practical  Military  Engineering 


Bartlett's  Mechanics.  Bartlett's  Acoustics  and 
Optics.    Bartlett's  Astronomy. 

Fowne's  Chemistry.  Chemical  Physics,  from  Mil- 
ler. 

Landscape.    Pencil  and  Colors. 

United  States  Tactics  for  Garrison,  Siege,  and 
Field  Artillery.  United  States  Tactics  for  Infant- 
ry. Practical  Instruction  in  the  Schools  of  the 
Soldier,  Company,  and  Battalion.  Practical  In- 
struction in  Artillery  and  Cavalry. 

Myers'  Manual  of  Signals.  Practical  and  Theo- 
retical Instruction  in  Military  Signaling  and 
Telegraphy. 


26 


THE   COLOKED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 


Fourth  Year — First  Glass. 


Military  and  Civil  Engineering 
and  Science  of  War. 


Mineralogy  and  Geology. 
Ethics  and  Law 


Tactics   of  Artillery,  Cavalry, 
and  Infantry. 


Ordnance  and  Gunnery 

Practical  Military  Engineering. 


Mahan's  Field  Fortification.  Mahan's  Outlines  of 
Permanent  Fortification.  Mahan's  Civil  Engi- 
neering. Mahan's  Fortification  and  Stereotomy. 
Mahan's  Advanced  Guard  and  Outpost,  etc 
*  Moseley's  Mechanics  of  Engineering. 

Dana's  Mineralogy.    Hitchcock's  Geology. 

French's  Practical  Ethics.  Halleck's  International 
Law.  Kent's  Commentaries  (portion  on  Consti- 
tutional Law).  Law  and  Military  Law,  by  Prof. 
French.  Benet's  Military  Law  and  the  Practice 
of  Courts-Martial. 

United  States  Tactics  for  Cavalry.  Practical  In- 
struction in  the  Schools  of  the  Soldier,  Com- 
pany, and  Battalion.  Practical  Instruction  in 
Artillery  and  Cavalry. 

Benton's  Ordnance  and  Gunnery.  Practical  Pyro- 
techny. 

Practical  Instruction  in  fabricating  Fascines, 
Sap  Faggots,  Gabions,  Hurdles,  Sap-rollers,  etc. ; 
manner  of  laying  out  and  constructing  Gun  and 
Mortar  Batteries,  Field  Fortifications  and  Works 
of  Siege  ;  formation  of  Stockades,  Abatis,  and 
other  military  obstacles  ;  and  throwing  and  dis- 
mantling Pontoon  Bridges. 

Myers'  Manual  of  Signals.  Practical  Instruction 
in  Military  Signaling  and  Telegraphy. 


The  second  paper  was  a  printed  blank,  a  letter  of 
acceptance  or  non-acceptance,  to  be  filled  np,  as  the 
case  may  be,  signed  by  myself,  countersigned  by  my 
father,  and  returned  to  Washington,  D.  C. 

The  third,  which  follows,  is  simply  a  memoran- 
dum for  use  of  the  candidate. 


MEMORANDUM. 

It  is  suggested  to  all  candidates  for  admission  into  the  Military 
Academy  that,  before  leaving  their  place  of  residence  for  West  Point, 
they  should  cause  themselves  to  be  thoroughly  examined  by  a  com- 
petent physician,  and  by  a  teacher  or  instructor  in  good  standing 
By  such  an  examination  any  serious  physical  disqualification,  or  defi- 
ciency in  mental  preparation,  would  be  revealed,  and  the  candidate 
probably  spared  the  expense  and  trouble  of  a  useless  journey  and  the 
mortification  of  rejection.  The  circular  appended  to  the  letter  of 
appointment  should  be  carefully  studied  by  the  candidate  and  the 
examiners. 

It  should  be  understood  that  the  informal  examination  herein 
recommended  is  solely  for  the  convenience  and  benefit  of  the  candi- 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  27 

date  himself,  and  can  in  no  manner  affect  the  decision  of  the  Aca- 
demic and  Medical  Examining  Boards  at  West  Point. 

Note. — There  being  no  provision  whatever  for  the  payment  of  the  travelling  ex- 
penses of  either  accepted  or  rejected  candidates  for  admission,  no  candidate  should 
fail  to  provide  himself  in  advance  with  the  means  of  returning  to  his  home,  in  case  of 
his  rejection  before  either  of  the  Examining  Boards,  as  he  may  otherwise  be  put  to 
considerable  trouble,  inconvenience,  and  even  suffering,  on  account  of  his  destitute 
situation.  If  admitted,  the  money  brought  by  him  to  meet  such  a  contingency  can 
be  deposited  with  the  Treasurer  on  account  of  his  equipment  as  a  cadet,  or  returned 
to  his  friends. 

After  I  had  secured  the  appointment  the  editor 
of  one  of  our  local  papers,  which  was  at  the  time 
publishing  —  weekly,  I  think — brief  biographies  of 
some  of  the  leading  men  of  the  city,  together  with 
cuts  of  the  persons  themselves,  desired  to  thus  bring 
me  into  notoriety.  I  was  duly  consulted,  and,  ob- 
jecting, the  publication  did  not  occur.  My  chief 
reason  for  objecting  was  merely  this  :  I  feared  some 
evil  might  befall  me  while  passing  through  Georgia 
en  route  for  West  Point,  if  too  great  a  knowledge  of 
me  should  precede  me,  such,  for  instance,  as  a  pub- 
lication of  that  kind  would  give. 

At  this  interview  several  other  persons — white,  of 
course — were  present,  and  one  of  them — after  relat- 
ing the  trials  of  Cadet  Smith  and  the  circumstances 
of  his  dismissal,  which,  apropos,  had  not  yet  oc- 
curred, as  he  would  have  me  believe — advised  me  to 
abandon  altogether  the  idea  of  going  to  West  Point, 
for,  said  he,  "Them  northern  boys  wont  treat  you 
right."  I  have  a  due  proportion  of  stubbornness  in 
me,  I  believe,  as  all  of  the  negro  race  are  said  to 
have,  and  my  Southern  friend  might  as  well  have 
advised  an  angel  to  rebel  as  to  have  counselled  me 
to  resign  and  not  go.  He  was  convinced,  too,  before 
we  separated,  that  no  change  in  my  determination 


28       THE  COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

was  at  all  likely  to  occur.  JSText  day,  in  a  short 
article,  the  fact  of  my  appointment  was  mentioned, 
and  my  age  and  degree  of  education.  Some  days 
after  this,  while  in  the  post-office,  a  gentleman  beck- 
oned to  me,  and  we  withdrew  from  the  crowd.  He 
mentioned  this  article,  and  after  relating — indeed,  re- 
peating, to  my  amusement,  the  many  hardships  to 
which  I  should  be  subjected,  and  after  telling  me  he 
had  a  very  promising  son — candid,  wasn't  he  \ — whom 
he  desired  to  have  educated  at  West  Point,  offered 
me  for  my  appointment  the  rather  large  sum  of  five 
thousand  dollars.  This  I  refused  instantly.  I  had  so 
set  my  mind  on  West  Point  that,  having  the  appoint- 
ment, neither  threats  nor  excessive  bribes  could  in- 
duce me  to  relinquish  it,  even  if  I  had  not  possessed 
sufficient  strength  of  character  to  resist  them  other- 
wise. However,  as  I  was  a  minor,  I  referred  him  to 
my  father.  I  have  no  information  that  he  ever  con- 
sulted him.  If  he  had,  my  reply  to  him  would  have 
been  sustained.  I  afterward  had  reason  to  believe 
the  offer  was  made  merely  to  test  me,  as  I  received 
from  strangers  expressions  of  confidence  in  me  and 
in  my  doing  faithfully  all  that  might  devolve  upon 
me  from  my  appointment. 


CHAPTER  III. 

BEPOETIJSTG. 

~\ /TAY  20th,  1873  !  Auspicious  day  !  From  the 
-L*-L  deck  of  the  little  ferry-boat  that  steamed  its  way 
across  from  Garrison's  on  that  eventful  afternoon 
I  viewed  the  hills  about  West  Point,  her  stone  struc- 
tures perched  thereon,  thus  rising  still  higher,  as 
if  providing  access  to  the  very  pinnacle  of  fame,  and 
shuddered.  With  my  mind  full  of  the  horrors  of 
the  treatment  of  all  former  cadets  of  color,  and  the 
dread  of  inevitable  ostracism,  I  approached  trem- 
blingly yet  confidently. 

The  little  vessel  having  been  moored,  I  stepped 
ashore  and  inquired  of  a  soldier  there  where  candi- 
dates should  report.  He  very  kindly  gave  me  all 
needed  information,  wished  me  much  success,  for 
which  I  thanked  him,  and  set  out  for  the  designated 
place.  I  soon  reached  it,  and  walked  directly  into 
the  adjutant's  office.  He  received  me  kindly,  asked 
for  my  certificate  of  appointment,  and  receiving  that 
— or  assurance  that  I  had  it :  I  do  not  now  remember 
which — directed  me  to  write  in  a  book  there  for  the 
purpose  the  name  and  occupation  of  my  father,  the 
State,  Congressional  district,  county  and  city  of  his 
residence,  my  own  full  name,  age,  State,  county,  and 
place  of  my  birth,  and  my  occupation  when  at  home. 
This  done  I  was  sent  in  charge  of  an  orderly  to  cadet 
2 


30  THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT. 

barracks,  where  my  "  plebe  quarters"  were  assigned 
me. 

The  impression  made  upon  me  by  what  I  saw 
while  going  from  the  adjutant's  office  to  barracks 
was  certainly  not  very  encouraging.  The  rear  win- 
dows were  crowded  with  cadets  watching  my  un- 
pretending passage  of  the  area  of  barracks  with 
apparently  as  much  astonishment  and  interest  as 
they  would,  perhaps,  have  watched  Hannibal  cross- 
ing the  Alps.  Their  words,  jeers,  etc.,  were  most 
insulting. 

Having  reached  another  office,  I  was  shown  in  by 
the  orderly.  I  walked  in,  hat  in  hand — nay,  rather 
started  in — when  three  cadets,  who  were  seated  in 
the  room,  simultaneously  sprang  to  their  feet,  and 
welcomed  me  somewhat  after  this  fashion  : 

"  Well,  sir,  what  do  you  mean  by  coming  into 
this  office  in  that  manner,  sir  ?    Get  out  of  here,  sir." 

I  walked  out,  followed  by  one  of  them,  who,  in  a 
similar  strain,  ordered  me  to  button  my  coat,  get  my 
hands  around — "fins"  he  said — heels  together,  and 
head  up. 

"  Now,  sir,"  said  he,  leaving  me,  "when  you  are 
ready  to  come  in,  knock  at  that  door,"  emphasizing 
the  word  "  knock." 

The  door  was  open.  I  knocked.  He  replied, 
"Come  in."  I  went  in.  I  took  my  position  in 
front  of  and  facing  him,  my  heels  together,  head  up, 
the  palms  of  my  hands  to  the  front,  and  my  little 
fingers  on  the  seams  of  my  pantaloons,  in  which 
position  we  habitually  carried  them.  After  correct- 
ing my  position  and  making  it  sufficiently  military 
to  suit  himself,  one  of  them,  in  a  much  milder  tone, 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  81 

asked  what  I  desired  of  them.  I  told  liim  I  had 
been  sent  by  the  adjutant  to  report  there.  He  arose, 
and  directing  me  to  follow  him,  conducted  me  to  the 
bath-rooms.  Having  discharged  the  necessary  duty 
there,  I  returned  and  was  again  put  in  charge  of  the 
orderly,  who  carried  me  to  the  hospital.  There  I 
was  subjected  to  a  rigid  physical  examination,  which 
I  "stood"  with  the  greatest  ease.  I  was  given  a 
certificate  of  ability  by  the  surgeon,  and  by  him  sent 
again  to  the  adjutant,  who  in  turn  sent  me  to  the 
treasurer.     From  him  I  returned  alone  to  barracks. 

The  reception  given  to  "  plebes"  upon  reporting 
is  often  very  much  more  severe  than  that  given  me. 
Even  members  of  my  own  class  can  testify  to  this. 
This  reception  has,  however,  I  think,  been  best  de- 
scribed in  an  anonymous  work,  where  it  is  thus  set 
forth  : 

"  How  dare  you  come  into  the  presence  of  your 
superior  officer  in  that  grossly  careless  and  unmili- 
tary  manner?  I'll  have  you  imprisoned.  Stand, 
attention,  sir  !"  (Even  louder  than  before.)  "Heels- 
together-and-on-the-same-line,  toes-equally-turned- 
out,  little-fingers-on-the-seams-of-your-pantaloons, 
button-your-coat,  draw-in-your-chin,  throw-out- 
your-chest,  cast-your-eyes-fifteen-paces-to-the-front, 
don't-let-me-see-you-wearing-standing-collars-again. 
Stand-steady,  sir.  You've  evidently  mistaken  your 
profession,  sir.  In  any  other  service,  or  at  the  seat 
of  war,  sir,  you  would  have  been  shot,  sir,  without 
trial,  sir,  for  such  conduct,  sir." 

The  effect  of  such  words  can  be  easily  imagined. 
A  "plebe"  will  at  once  recognize  the  necessity  for 
absolute  obedience,  even  if  he  does  know  all  this  is 


32  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

hazing,  and  that  it  is  doubtless  forbidden.  Still 
"  plebes"  almost  invariably  tremble  while  it  lasts, 
and  when  in  their  own  quarters  laugh  over  it,  and 
even  practise  it  upon  each  other  for  mutual  amuse- 
ment. 

On  the  way  to  barracks  I  met  the  squad  of 
"  beasts"  marching  to  dinner.  I  was  ordered  to  fall 
in,  did  so,  marched  to  the  mess  hall,  and  ate  my 
first  dinner  at  West  Point.  After  dinner  we  were 
marched  again  to  barracks  and  dismissed.  I  hast- 
ened to  my  quarters,  and  a  short  while  after  was 
turned  out  to  take  possession  of  my  baggage.  I 
lugged  it  to  my  room,  was  shown  the  directions  on 
the  back  of  the  door  for  arrangement  of  articles,  and 
ordered  to  obey  them  within  half  an  hour.  The 
parts  of  the  regulations  referred  to  are  the  follow- 
ing: 

SPECIAL  REGULATIONS  FOR  BARRACKS. 


ORDERLIES   OP  ROOMS. 

The  particular  attention  of  Orderlies  is  directed  to  those  para- 
graphs of  the  Regulations  for  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy  specifying 
their  duties. 

CADETS. 

The  hours  of  Recitation  of  each  Cadet  will  he  posted  on  the  hack 
of  the  door  of  his  room.  When  a  room  is  being  washed  out  by  the 
policeman,  on  reporting  to  the  Officer  of  the  Day,  and  stating  to  him 
the  number  of  some  room  in  his  own  Division  he  wishes  to  visit,  a 
Cadet  will  be  permitted  to  visit  that  particular  room  until  his  own 
can  be  occupied.  The  uniform  coat  will  be  worn  from  8  till  10  A.M.  ; 
at  Inspection  before  10  a.m.  the  coat  will  be  buttoned  through- 
out ;  at  Sunday  Morning  Inspection  gloves  and  side-arms  will  also 
be  worn.  After  10  A.M.  any  uniform  garment  or  dressing-gown 
may  be  worn  in  their  own  rooms,  bat  at  no  time  will  Cadets  be  in 
their  shirt-sleeves  unnecessarily.  During  the  "  Call  to  Quarters," 
between  "  Inspection  Call "  in  the  morning  and  "  Tattoo,"  the  follow- 
ing Arrangement  of  Furniture,  etc.,  will  be  required  : 

ACCOUTREMENTS. 

Dress  Cap — On  gun-rack  shelf. 

Cartridge  Boxes,  Waist  Belts,  Sabres,  Forage  Cape — Hung  on 
pegs  near  gun-rack  shelf. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  33 

Muskets — In  gun-rack,  Bayonets  in  the  scabbards. 
Spurs — Hung  on  peg  with  Sabres. 

BEDSTEADS  AND  BEDDING. 

Bedsteads — In  alcove,  against  side  wall  of  the  room,  the  head 
against  the  back  wall. 

Bedding — Mattress  to  be  folded  once  ;  Blankets  and  Comforters, 
each  one  to  be  neatly  and  separately  folded,  so  that  the  folds  shall 
be  of  the  width  of  an  ordinary  pillow,  and  piled  at  the  head  of  the 
Bedstead  in  the  following  order,  viz. :  Mattress,  Sheets,  Pillows, 
Blankets,  and  Comforters,  the  front  edge  of  sheets,  pillows,  etc., 
to  be  vertical.  On  Sunday  afternoons  the  Beds  may  be  made  down 
and  used. 

clothes-press. 

Books — On  the  top  of  the  Press,  against  the  wall,  and  with  the 
backs  to  the  front.  Brushes  (tooth  and  hair),  Combs,  Shaving  Im- 
plements and  Materials,  such  small  boxes  as  may  be  allowed, 
vials,  etc.,  to  be  neatly  arranged  on  the  upper  shelf.  Belts,  Col- 
lars, Gloves,  Handkerchiefs,  Socks,  etc.,  to  be  neatly  arranged 
on  the  second  shelf  from  the  top.  Sheets,  Pillow-Cases,  Shirts, 
Drawers,  White  Pants,  etc.,  to  be  neatly  arranged  on  the  other 
shelves,  the  heaviest  articles  on  the  lower  shelves. 

Arrangement — All  articles  of  the  same  kind  are  to  be  carefully 
and  neatly  placed  in  separate  piles.  The  folded  edges  of  these  arti- 
cles to  be  to  the  front,  and  even  with  the  front  edge  of  the  shelf. 
Nothing  will  be  allowed  between  these  piles  of  clothing  and  the  back 
of  the  press,  unless  the  want  of  room  on  the  front  edge  renders  it 
necessary. 

Dirty  Clothes — To  be  kept  in  clothes-bag. 

Shoes  and  Over-Shoes — To  be  kept  clean,  dusted,  and  arranged  in 
a  line  where  they  can  be  seen  by  the  Inspector,  either  at  the  foot  of 
the  bedstead  or  at  the  side  near  the  foot. 

Woollen  Clothing,  Dressing- Goto n,  and  Clothes-Bag — To  be  hung 
on  the  pegs  in  alcove  in  the  following  general  order,  from  the  front 
of  the  alcove  to  the  back  :  Over-Coat,  Dressing-Gown,  Uniform 
Coats,  Jackets,  Pants,  Clothes-Bag. 

FURNITURE. 

Broom — To  be  kept  behind  the  door.  Tin  Box  for  Cleaning 
Materials — To  be  kept  clean  and  in  the  fire-place.  Spittoon — To 
be  kept  on  one  side  of  the  hearth  near  mantel-piece.  Chairs  and 
Tables — On  no  occasion  to  be  in  alcoves,  the  chairs,  when  not  in 
use,  to  be  against  the  owners'  tables.  Looking-Glass — At  the  centre 
of  the  .mantel-piece.  Wash-Stand — To  be  kept  clean,  in  front 
and  against  alcove  partition.  Wash-Basin — To  be  kept  clean,  and 
inverted  on  the  top  of  the  wash-stand.  Water-Bucket — To  be 
kept  on  shelf  of  wash-stand.  Slop-Bucket — To  be  kept  near  to 
and  on  side  of  wash-stand,  opposite  door.  Baskets,  Pictures,  Clocks, 
Statues,  Trunks,  and  large  Boxes  will  not  be  allowed  in  quarters. 

Curtains — Window-Curtains — Only  uniform  allowed,  and  to  be 
kept  drawn  back  during  the  day.      Alcove-Curtains — Only  uni- 


34  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

form  allowed,  and  to  be  kept  drawn,  except  between  "  Tattoo"  and 
"  Reveille"  and  when  dressing.  Curtains  of  Clothes-Press — 
To  be  kept  drawn,  except  when  policing  room. 

FLOOR. 
To  be  kept  clean,  and  free  from  grease-spots  and  stains. 

WALLS  AND  WOOD-WORK. 
To  be  kept  free  from  cobwebs,  and   not  to  be  injured  by  nails  or 
otherwise. 

HEATING  APPARATUS,  SCREEN  AND  TOP. 
To  be  kept  clean,  and  not  to  be  scratched  or  defaced. 


These  Regulations  will  be  strictly  obeyed  and  enforced. 

By  order  of  Lieut. -Colonel  UPTON, 

GEORGE  L.  TURNER, 

Cadet  Lieut,  and  Adjutant. 
Headquarters,  Corps  of  Cadets, 

West  Point,  N.  ¥.,  Sept.  4,  1873. 

At  the  end  of  the  time  specified  every  article  was 
arranged  and  the  cadet  corporal  returned  to  inspect. 
He  walked  deliberately  to  the  clothes-press,  and,  in- 
forming me  that  every  thing  was  arranged  wrong, 
threw  every  article  upon  the  floor,  repeated  his 
order,  and  withdrew.  And  thus  three  times  in  less 
than  two  hours  did  I  arrange  and  he  disarrange  my 
effects.  I  was  not  troubled  again  by  him  till  after 
supper,  when  he  inspected  again,  merely  opening 
the  door,  however,  and  looking  in.  He  told  me  I 
could  not  go  to  sleep  till  "  tattoo."  ]S"ow  tattoo,  as 
he  evidently  used  it,  referred  in  some  manner  to 
time,  and  with  such  reference  I  had  not  the  remotest 
idea  of  what  it  meant.  I  had  no  knowledge  what- 
ever of  military  terms  or  customs.  However,  as  I 
was  also  told  that  I  could  do  any  thing — writing,  etc. 
— I  might  wish  to  do,  I  found  sufficient  to  keep  me 
awake  until  he  again  returned  and  told  me  it  was 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  35 

then  tattoo,  that  I  could  retire  then  or  at  any  time 
within  half  an  hour,  and  that  at  the  end  of  that  time 
the  light  must  be  extinguished  and  I  must  be  in 
bed.     I  instantly  extinguished  it  and  retired. 

Thus  passed  my  first  half  day  at  West  Point,  and 
thus  began  the  military  career  of  the  fifth  colored 
cadet.  The  other  four  were  Smith  of  South  Caro- 
lina, Napier  of  Tennessee,  Howard  of  Mississippi, 
and  Gibbs  of  Florida. 

What  I  had  seen  and  experienced  during  the  few 
hours  from  my  arrival  till  tattoo  filled  me  with  fear 
and  apprehension.  I  expected  every  moment  to  be 
insulted  or  struck,  and  was  not  long  in  persuading 
myself  that  the  various  reports  which  I  had  heard 
concerning  Smith  were  true — I  had  not  seen  him  yet, 
or,  if  I  had,  had  not  recognized  him — and  that  my 
life  there  was  to  be  all  torture  and  anguish.  I  was 
uneasy  and  miserable,  ever  thinking  of  the  regula- 
tions, verbal  or  written,  which  had  been  given  me. 
How  they  haunted  me  !  I  kept  repeating  them 
over  and  over,  fearful  lest  I  might  forget  and  violate 
them,  and  be  dismissed.  If  I  wanted  any  thing  or 
wished  to  go  anywhere,  I  must  get  permission  of 
the  cadet  officers  on  duty  over  us.  To  get  such  per- 
mission I  must  enter  their  office  cleanly  and  neatly 
dressed,  and,  taking  my  place  in  the  centre  of  the 
room,  must  salute,  report  my  entrance,  make  known 
my  wants,  salute  again,  and  report  my  departure.* 

*  Somewhat  after  this  fashion  : 

"  Candidate  F — ,  United  States  Military  Academy,  reports  his  en- 
trance into  this  office,  sir." 

"  Well,  sir,  what  do  you  want  in  this  office  ?" 

"  I  desire  permission,  sir,  to  walk  on  public  lands  till  retreat." 


36  THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

At  the  instant  I  heard  the  sound  of  a  drum  I  must 
turn  out  at  a  run  and  take  my  place  in  the  ranks. 

At  five  o'clock  the  next  morning  two  unusual 
sounds  greeted  my  ears — the  reveille,  and  a  voice  in 
the  hall  below  calling  out  in  a  loud  martial  tone  : 

"  Candidates,  turn  out  promptly  !"  In  an  aston- 
ishingly short  time  I  had  dressed,  "  turned  out,"  and 
was  in  ranks.  We  stood  there  as  motionless  as 
statues  till  the  fif  ers  and  drummers  had  marched  up 
to  barracks,  the  rolls  of  the  companies  had  been 
called,  and  they  themselves  dismissed.  We  were  then 
dismissed,  our  roll  having  been  also  called.  We  with- 
drew at  a  run  to  our  quarters  and  got  them  ready 
for  inspection,  which,  we  were  informed,  would  take 
place  at  the  expiration  of  half  an  hour.  At  the  end 
of  this  time  our  quarters  were  inspected  by  a  cor- 
poral. In  my  own  room  he  upset  my  bedding, 
kicked  my  shoes  into  the  middle  of  the  room,  and 
ordered  me  to  arrange  them  again  and  in  better 
order.  This  order  was  obeyed  immediately.  And 
this  upsetting  was  done  in  every  room,  as  I  learned 
afterward  from  the  occupants,  who,  strange  to  say, 
manifested  no  prejudice  then.  'Twas  not  long  ere 
they  learned  that  they  were  prejudiced,  and  that  they 
abhorred  even  the  sight  of  a"  d — d  nigger." 

Just  before,  or  perhaps  just  after  breakfast,  our 
quarters  were  again  inspected.  This  time  I  was 
somewhat  surprised  to  hear  the  corporal  say,  "  Very 
well,  Mr.  Flipper,  very  well,  sir." 

And  this,  with  other  things,  shows  there  was  a 

"  No,  sir,  you  can't  walk  on  public  lands  till  retreat.  Get  out  of 
my  sight." 

"  Candidate  F — ,  United  States  Military  Academy,  reports  his  de- 
parture from  this  office,  sir." 


THE  COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.      37 

friendly  feeling  toward  me  from  the  first.  After  hav- 
ing thus  expressed  himself,  he  directed  me  to  print 
my  name  on  each  of  f  onr  pieces  of  paper,  and  to  tack 
them  np  in  certain  places  in  the  room,  which  he  indi- 
cated to  me.  I  did  this  several  times  before  I  could 
please  him  ;  but  at  last  succeeded.  Another  cor- 
poral visited  me  during  the  day  and  declared  every- 
thing out  of  order,  although  I  had  not  touched  a 
single  thing  after  once  satisfying  the  first  corporal. 
Of  course  I  had  to  rearrange  them  to  suit  him,  in 
which  I  also  finally  succeeded. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  mail  came.  I  received  a 
letter,  and  to  my  astonishment  its  postmark  was 
"West  Point,  W.  Y.,  May  21st."  Of  course  I  was 
at  a  loss  to  know  who  the  writer  was.  I  turned  it 
over  and  over,  looked  at  it,  studied  the  postmark, 
finally  opened  it  and  read  it.  * 

This  was  another  surprise — a  welcome  surprise, 
however.  I  read  it  over  several  times.  It  showed 
me  plainly  that  Smith  had  not  been  dismissed,  as 
had  been  reported  to  me  at  home.     I  at  once  formed 


*  This  letter  by  some  means  has  been  misplaced,  and  all  efforts  to 
find  it,  or  to  discover  what  its  exact  contents  were,  have  failed. 
However,  it  was  from  James  Webster  Smith,  the  first  and  then  only- 
cadet  of  color  at  West  Point.  It  reassured  me  very  much,  telling  me 
not  to  fear  either  blows  or  insults,  and  advising  me  to  avoid  any 
forward  conduct  if  I  wished  also  to  avoid  certain  consequences, 
"which,"  said  the  writer,  "  I  have  learned  from  sad  experience," 
would  be  otherwise  inevitable.  It  was  a  sad  letter.  I  don't  think 
any  thing  has  so  affected  me  cr  so  influenced  my  conduct  at  West 
Point  as  its  melancholy  tone.  That  ' '  sad  experience' '  gave  me  a  world 
of  warning.  I  looked  upon  it  as  implying  the  confession  of  some 
great  error  made  by  him  at  some  previous  time,  and  of  its  sadder 
consequences. 


88  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

a  better  opinion  of  West  Point  than  I  before  had, 
and  from  that  day  my  fears  gradually  wore  away. 

The  candidates  now  reported  rapidly,  and  we, 
who  had  reported  the  day%  previous,  were  compara- 
tively undisturbed.  At  four  o'clock  I  visited  Smith 
at  his  quarters  by  permission.  My  visit  was  neces- 
sarily a  short  one,  as  he  was  then  preparing  for 
drill.  It  sufficed,  however,  for  us  to  become  ac- 
quainted, and  for  me  to  receive  some  valuable  advice. 
An  hour  and  place  were  designated  for  us  to  meet 
next  day,  and  I  took  my  leave  of  him.  The 
"  plebes"  turned  out  en  masse,  walked  around  the 
grounds  and  witnessed  the  drilling  of  the  battalion. 
We  enjoyed  it  immensely.  They  were  that  day 
skirmishing  and  using  blank  cartridges.  We 
thought  the  drill  superb.  I  was  asked  by  a  fellow- 
"  plebe,"  "  Think  you'll  like  that  ?" 

"  Oh  yes,"  said  I,  "when  I  can  do  it  as  easily 
as  they  do." 

We  had  quite  a  lengthy  conversation  about  the 
fine  appearance  of  the  cadets,  their  forms,  so  straight 
and  manly,  evoking  our  greatest  admiration.  This, 
alas  !  was  our  only  conversation  on  any  subject. 
The  gentleman  discovered  ere  long  that  he  too  was 
prejudiced,  and  thus  one  by  one  they  "  cut"  me, 
whether  for  prudential  reasons  or  not  I  can  not  pre- 
sume to  say. 

I  went  into  the  office  one  day,  and  standing  un- 
covered at  about  the  middle  of  the  room,  in  the  posi- 
tion of  the  soldier,  saluted  and  thus  addressed  a 
cadet  officer  present : 

"  Candidate  Flipper,  United  States  Military  Acad- 
emy, reports  his  entrance  into  this  office,  sir." 


THE    COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  39 

"  Well,  what  do  you  want  V  was  the  rather  gruff 
reply. 

"I  desire  permission  to  visit  Smith,  sir,"  an- 
swered I,  thoughtlessly  saying  "  Smith,"  instead  of 
"Mr."  or  "Cadet  Smith." 

He  instantly  sprang  from  his  seat  into  rather 
close  proximity  to  my  person  and  angrily  yelled  : 

"  Well,  sir,  I  want  to  hear  you  say  '  Mr.  Smith.' 
I  want  you  to  understand,  sir,  he  is  a  cadet  and 
you're  a  'plebe,'  and  I  don't  want  to  see  such 
familiarity  on  your  part  again,  sir,"  putting  partic- 
ular emphasis  on  "  Mr." 

Having  thus  delivered  himself  he  resumed  his 
seat,  leaving  me,  I  imagine,  more  scared  than  other- 
wise. 

"  What  do  you  want?"  asked  he  again,  after  a 
pause  of  a  moment  or  so. 

"  Permission  to  visit  Mr.  Smith." 

Without  condescending  to  notice  for  the  time  my 
request  he  gave  the  interview  a  rather  ludicrous 
turn,  I  thought,  by  questioning  me  somewhat  after 
this  manner : 

"  Can  you  dance,  Mr.  Flipper  2" 

Having  answered  this  to  his  entire  satisfaction, 
he  further  asked : 

"  Expect  to  attend  the  hops  this  summer  ?" 

"  Oh  no,  sir,"  replied  I,  smiling,  as  he  also  was, 
for  I  had  just  discovered  the  drift  of  his  questions. 
After  mischievously  studying  my  countenance  for 
a  moment,  he  returned  to  the  original  subject  and 
queried,  "  Where  do  you  want  to  go  2" 

I  told  him. 

"  Well,  get  out  of  my  sight." 


4:0  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST  POINT. 

I  considered  the  permission  granted,  and  hastily 
withdrew  to  take  advantage  of  it. 

Between  breakfast  and  supper  those  of  ns  who 
had  been  there  at  least  a  day  had  quite  a  pleasant 
time.  We  were  not  troubled  with  incessant  inspec- 
tions or  otherwise.  We  either  studied  for  examina- 
tion or  walked  around  the  grounds.  At  or  near 
seven  o'clock,  the  time  of  retreat  parade,  we  were 
formed  near  our  barracks  and  inspected.  Our  ranks 
were  opened  and  the  cadet  lieutenant  inspected  our 
clothing  and  appearance  generally.  A  not  infre- 
quent occurrence  on  these  occasions  was  : 

"  Well,  mister,  what  did  you  shave  with — a  shoe- 
horn ?" 

At  this  we  would  smile,  when  the  lieutenant, 
sergeant,  or  corporal  would  jump  at  us  and  yell : 

"  Wipe  that  smile  off  your  face,  sir  !  What  do 
you  mean,  sir,  by  laughing  in  ranks  ?" 

If  any  one  attempted  to  reply  he  was  instantly 
silenced  with — 

"  Well,  sir,  don't  reply  to  me  in  ranks." 

The  inspection  would  be  continued.  Some  one, 
unable  to  restrain  himself — the  whole  affair  was  so 
ridiculous  —  would  laugh  right  out  in  ranks.  He 
was  a  doomed  man. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  sir,  by  laughing  in  ranks, 
sir?" 

Having  been  once  directed  not  to  reply  in  ranks, 
the  poor  "  plebe"  would  stand  mute. 

"  Well,  sir,  don't  you  intend  to  answer  me  ?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Well,  sir,  step  it  out.  Yvrhat  were  you  grinning 
at?" 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  41 

"  Nothing,  sir." 

"Nothing!  Well,  sir,  you're  a  pretty  thing  to 
be  grinning  at  nothing.     Get  in  ranks." 

The  inspection  would,  after  many  such  interrup- 
tions, be  continued.  Ranks  would  at  length  be  closed 
and  the  command,  "In  place,  rest!"  given.  The 
battalion  would  march  in  from  parade  at  double  time 
and  form  in  the  area  to  our  rear.  The  delinquencies 
of  the  day  previous  would  then  be  published  by  the 
cadet  adjutant. 

"What  most  strikes  a  "  plebe"  is  this  same  pub- 
lication. He  hasn'  t  the  remotest  idea  of  what  it  is. 
Not  a  word  uttered  by  the  adjutant  is  understood 
by  him.  He  stands  and  wonders  what  it  is.  A  per- 
fect jargon  of  words,  unintelligible  and  meaningless 
to  him  !  I  remember  distinctly  how  I  used  to  won- 
der, and  how  I  was  laughed  at  when  I  asked  for  in- 
formation concerning  it.  We  ' '  plebes' '  used  to 
speak  of  it  often,  and  wonder  if  it  was  not  French. 
When  we  were  better  acquainted  with  the  rules  and 
customs  of  the  Academy  we  learned  what  it  was.  It 
was  something  of  this  nature,  read  from  the  "De- 
linquency Book:" 

Delinquencies,  Tuesday,  Oct.  12. 

Adams. — Late  at  reveille  roll-call. 

Be  jay. — Sentinel  not  coming  to  "  Arms,  Port,"  when  addressed 
by  the  officer  of  the  day. 

Same. — Not  conversant  with  orders  at  same. 

Barnes. — Same  at  same. 

Same. — Sentinel,  neglect  of  duty,  not  requiring  cadet  leaving  his 
post  to  report  his  departure  and  destination. 

Same. — Hanging  head,  4  p.m. 

Bulow. — Dust  on  mantel  at  inspection,  9.30  a.m. 

Same. — Executing  manual  of  arms  with  pointer  in  section-room, 

9  A.M. 


42  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

Same. — Using  profane  expression,  1  p.m.  1 
Cullen. — Out  of  bed  at  taps. 
Dorms. — Light  in  quarters,  11  p.m. 
Same. — Not  prepared  on  47  Velasquez.* 

On  the  26th  of  May,  another  colored  candidate 
reported.  It  is  said  he  made  the  best  show  at  the 
preliminary  examination.  Unfortunately,  however, 
he  was  "found"  at  the  following  semi-annual  ex- 
amination. He  was  brought  up  to  my  quarters  by  a 
corporal,  and  I  was  ordered  to  give  him  all  instruc- 
tion which  had  previously  been  given  me.  This  I 
did,  and  his  first  days  at  West  Point  were  much 
more  pleasant  than  mine  had  been. 

The  candidates  had  now  all  reported,  and  Mon- 
day afternoon,  May  28  th,  we  were  each  given  by  the 
Adjutant  in  person  a  slip  of  paper  upon  which  was 
written  the  number  of  each  man' s  name  in  an  alpha- 
betically arranged  roll.  This  we  had  special  direc- 
tions to  preserve.  The  next  day  we  were  marched 
up  to  the  Drawing  Academy,  and  examined  in  gram- 
mar, history,  and  geography  ;  the  following  day  in 
orthography  and  reading.  On  the  'same  day,  also, 
we  were  required  to  write  out  a  list  of  all  the  text- 
books we  had  used  in  our  previous  school-days. 
The  day  following  we  were  divided  into  sections  and 
marched  to  the  library,  where  the  Academic  Board 

*  For  these  delinquencies  the  cadets  are  allowed  to  write  explana- 
tions. If  the  offence  is  absence  from  quarters  or  any  duty  without 
authority,  or  is  one  committed  in  the  Academical  Department,  called 
an  Academical  Delinquency,  such  as  not  being  prepared  on  some 
lesson,  an  explanation  is  required  and  must  be  written.  For  all  other 
offences  the  cadet  can  write  an  explanation  or  not  as  he  chooses.  If 
the  explanation  is  satisfactory,  the  offence  is  removed  and  he  gets  no 
demerits,  otherwise  he  does.  For  form  of  explanation  see  Chapter 
X. ,  latter  part. 


THE  COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.      43 

was  in  readiness  to  examine  ns  in  mathematics.  It 
took  quite  a  while  to  examine  our  class  of  more 
than  one  hundred  members  thus  orally.  I  am  not 
positive  about  the  dates  of  the  examination.  I 
know  it  occurred  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  those 
named. 

Not  many  days  after  this  the  result  of  the  exam- 
ination was  made  known  to  us.  The  familiar  cry, 
"Candidates,  turn  out  promptly,"  made  at  about 
noon,  informed  us  that  something  unusual  was  about 
to  occur.  It  was  a  fearful  moment,  and  yet  I  was 
sure  I  had  "passed."  The  only  questions  I  failed 
on  were  in  geography.  I  stood  motionless  while  the 
order  was  being  read  until  I  heard  my  name  among 
the  accepted  ones.  I  felt  as  if  a  great  burden  had 
been  removed  from  my  mind.  It  was  a  beginning, 
and  if  not  a  good  one,  certainly  not  a  bad  one. 
What  has  been  the  ending  %    Let  the  sequel  show. 

Now  that  the  examination  was  over  and  the  de- 
ficient ones  gone,  we  were  turned  out  for  drill  every 
morning  at  half- past  five  o'clock  and  at  four  in  the 
afternoon.  We  were  divided  into  squads  of  one 
each,  and  drilled  twice  a  day  in  the  "  settings  up" 
until  about  June  20th.  After  a  few  drills,  however, 
the  squads  were  consolidated  into  others  of  four, 
six,  and  eight  each.  The  surplus  drill-masters  were 
"  turned  in."  Their  hopes  were  withered,  for  it  was 
almost  a  certainty  that  those  who  were  "  turned  in" 
would  not  be  "made."  They  expected  to  be 
"made"  on  their  proficiency  in  drilling,  and  when 
it  was  shown  by  being  "  turned  in"  that  others  had 
been  thought  better  drill-masters,  they  were  not  a 
little  disappointed.      How  they  "boned"  tactics! 


44  THE   COLORED   CADET    AT  WEST   POINT. 

What  proficiency  they  manifested !  How  they 
yelled  out  their  commands  !  What  eagerness  they 
showed  to  correct  errors,  etc.  And  yet  some  could 
not  overcome  their  propensity  for  hazing,  and  these 
were  of  course  turned  in.  ~Not  always  thus,  how- 
ever. Those  who  were  not  "turned  in"  were  not 
always  "made"  corporals.  Often  those  who  were 
so  treated  "  got  the  chevrons"  after  all. 

"  Plebe  drill,"  or,  more  familiarly,  "squad 
drill,"  has  always  been  a  source  of  great  amusement 
to  citizens,  but  what  a  horror  to  plebes.  Those  tor- 
turous twistings  and  twirlings,  stretching  every 
nerve,  straining  every  sinew,  almost  twisting  the 
joints  out  of  place  and  making  life  one  long  agoniz- 
ing effort.  Was  there  ever  a  "plebe,"  or  recruit, 
who  did  not  hate,  did  not  shudder  at  the  mere  men- 
tion of  squad  drill  %  I  did.  Others  did.  I  remem- 
ber distinctly  my  first  experience  of  it.  I  formed  an 
opinion,  a  morbid  dislike  of  it  then,  and  have  not 
changed  it.  The  benefit,  however,  of  "  squad  drill " 
can  not  be  overestimated.  It  makes  the  most  crooked, 
distorted  creature  an  erect,  noble,  and  manly  being, 
provided,  of  course,  this  distortion  be  a  result  of 
habit  and  not  a  natural  deformity,  the  result  of  lazi- 
ness in  one's  walking,  such  as  hanging  the  head, 
dropping  the  shoulders,  not  straightening  the  legs, 
and  crossing  them  when  walking. 

Squad  drill  is  one  of  the  painful  necessities  of 
military  discipline,  and  no  one  regrets  Ms  experience 
of  it,  however  displeasing  it  may  have  been  at  the 
time.  It  is  squad  drill  and  hazing  that  so  success- 
fully mould  the  coarser  characters  who  come  to  West 
Point  into  officers  and  gentlemen.     They  teach  him 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  45 

how  to  govern  and  be  governed.  They  are  more 
effectual  in  polishing  his  asperities  of  disposition  and 
forming  his  character  than  any  amount  of  regulations 
could  be.     They  tame  him,  so  to  speak. 

Squad  drill  was  at  once  a  punishment,  a  mode  of 
hazing,  and  a  drill.  For  the  least  show  of  grossness 
one  was  sure  to  be  punished  with  "  settings  up,  sec- 
ond time  !"  "  settings  up,  fourth  time  !"  "  Continue 
the  motion,  settings  up  second  (or  fourth)  time  !" 
We  would  be  kept  at  these  motions  until  we  could 
scarcely  move.  Of  course  all  this  was  contrary  to 
orders.  The  drill-master  would  be  careful  not  to  be 
"  hived."  If  he  saw  an  officer  even  looking  at  him, 
he  would  add  the  command  "  three,"  which  caused 
a  discontinuance  of  the  motion.  He  would  change, 
however,  to  one  of  the  other  exercises  immediately, 
and  thus  keep  the  plebes  continually  in  motion. 
When  he  thought  the  punishment  sufficient  he  would 
discontinue  it  by  the  command  "three,"  and  give 
"place,  rest."  When  the  "  place,  rest"  had  been 
just  about  sufficient  to  allow  the  plebe  to  get  cool 
and  in  a  measure  rested,  the  drill  would  be  resumed 
by  the  command  "  'tion,  squad"  (abbreviated  from 
"attention"  and  pronounced  "shun").  If  the 
plebe  was  slow,  "place,  rest"  was  again  given,  and 

"When  I  give  the  command  ''tion,  squad,'  I 
want  to  see  you  spring  up  with  life." 

"'Tion,  squad !" 

Plebe  is  slow  again. 

"  Well,  mister,  wake  up.  This  is  no  trifling  mat- 
ter.    Understand?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Well,  sir,  don't  reply  to  me  in  ranks." 


46  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

And  many  times  and  terms  even  more  severe  than 
these. 

~Now  that  Williams  and  myself  were  admitted,  the 
newspapers  made  their  usual  comments  on  such 
occurrences.  I  shall  quote  a  single  one  from  T/ie 
New  National  Era  and  Citizen,  published  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  and  the  political  organ  of  the  colored 
people.  The  article,  however,  as  I  present  it,  is 
taken  from  another  paper,  having  been  by  it  taken 
from  the  Era  and  Citizen : 

"COLORED  CADETS  AT  WEST  POINT. 
"  The  New  National  Era  and  Citizen,  which  is  the  national  organ  of 
the  colored  people,  contains  a  sensible  article  this  week  on  the  status 
of  colored  cadets  at  West  Point.  After  referring  to  the  colored 
young  men,  '  Plebes '  Flipper  of  Georgia,  and  Williams  of  Virginia, 
who  have  passed  the  examination  requisite  for  entering  the  Academy, 
the  Era  and  Citizen  says  :  '  Now  that  they  are  in,  the  stiff  and 
starched  proteges  of  the  Government  make  haste  to  tell  the  reporters 
that  "none  of  the  fellows  wonld  hurt  them,  but  every  fellow  would 
let  them  alone. "  Our  reporter  seems  to  think  that  "  to  be  let  alone  " 
a  terrible  doom.  So  it  is,  if  one  is  sent  to  Coventry  by  gentlemen. 
So  it  is,  if  one  is  neglected  by  those  who,  in  point  of  education,  thrift, 
and  morality  are  our  equals  or  superiors.  So  it  is  not,  if  done  by  the 
low-minded,  the  ignorant,  and  the  snobbish.  If  it  be  possible, 
among  the  four  hundred  young  charity  students  of  the  Government, 
that  Cadet  Smith,  for  instance,  finds  no  warm  friends,  and  has  won 
no  respect  after  the  gallant  fight  he  has  made  for  four  years— a 
harder  contest  than  he  will  ever  have  in  the  sterner  field — then  we 
despair  of  the  material  which  West  Point  is  turning  out.  If  this  be 
true,  it  is  training  selfish,  snobbish  martinets — not  knightly  soldiers, 
not  Havelocks,  Hardinges,  and  Kearneys — but  the  lowest  type  of  dis- 
ciplined and  educated  force  and  brutality — the  Bluchers  and  Marl- 
boroughs.  We  scarcely  believe  this,  however,  and  we  know  that 
any  young  man,  whether  he  be  poor  or  black,  or  both,  may  enter 
any  first-class  college  in  America  and  find  warm  sympathetic  friends, 
both  among  students  and  faculty,  if  he  but  prove  himself  to  be  pos- 
sessed of  some  good  qualities If  the  Smiths,  Flippers, 

and  Williamses  in  their  honorable  school-boy  careers  can  not  meet 


THE   COLOEED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  47 

social  as  well  as  intellectual  recognition  while  at  West  Point,  let 
them  study  on  and  acquit  themselves  like  men,  for  they  will  meet, 
out  in  the  world,  a  worthy  reception  among  men  of  worth,  who 
have  put  by  the  prejudices  of  race  and  the  shackles  of  ignorance. 
Emerson  says  somewhere  that  "  Solitude,  the  nurse  of  Genius,  is  the 
foe  of  mediocrity."  If  our  young  men  of  ability  have  the  stuff  iD 
them  to  make  men  out  of,  they  need  not  fear  "to  be  let  alone"  for  a 
while  ;  they  will  ultimately  come  to  the  surface  and  attain  worthy 
recognition. ' 

' '  That  is  plain,  practical  talk.  We  like  it.  It  has  the  ring  of  the 
true  metal.  It  shows  that  the  writer  has  faith  in  the  ultimate  tri- 
umph of  manhood.  It  is  another  form  for  expressing  a  firm  belief 
that  real  worth  will  find  a  reward.  Never  has  any  bond  people 
emerged  from  slavery  into  a  condition  full  of  such  grand  opportuni- 
ties and  splendid  possibilities  as  those  which  are  within  the  reach  of 
the  colored  people  of  the  United  States  ;  but  if  those  opportunities 
arc  to  be  made  available,  if  those  possibilities  are  to  be  realized,  the 
colored  people  must  move  into  the  fore-front  of  action  and  study  and 
work  in  their  own  behnlf.  The  colored  cadets  at  West  Point,  the 
colored  students  in  the  public  schools,  the  colored  men  in  the  profes- 
sions, the  trades,  and  on  the  plantations,  can  not  be  idlers  if  they  are 
to  compete  with  the  white  race  in  the  acquisition  of  knowledge  and 
property.  But  they  have  examples  of  notable  achievements  in  their 
own  ranks  which  should  convince  them  that  they  have  not  the 
slightest  reason  to  despair  of  success.  The  doors  stand  wide  open, 
from  the  plantation  to  the  National  Capitol,  and  every  American  citi- 
zen can,  if  he  will,  attain  worthy  recognition." 

And  thus,  ere  we  had  entered  upon  our  new 
duties,  were  we  forewarned  of  the  kind  of  treatment 
we  should  expect.  To  be  "  sent  to  Coventry,"  "to 
be  let  severely  alone,"  are  indeed  terrible  dooms, 
but  we  cared  naught  for  them.  "To  be  let  alone1 ' 
was  what  we  wished.  To  be  left  to  our  own  re- 
sources for  study  and  improvement,  for  enjoyment 
in  whatever  way  we  chose  to  seek  it,  was  what  we 
desired.  We  cared  not  for  social  recognition.  We 
did  not  expect  it,  nor  were  we  disappointed  in  not 
getting  it.     We  would  not  seek  it.     We  would  not 


48  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

obtrude  ourselves  upon  them.  "We  would  not  accept 
recognition  unless  it  was  made  willingly.  We  would 
be  of  them  at  least  independent.  We  would  mark 
out  for  ourselves  a  uniform  course  of  conduct  and 
follow  it  rigidly.  These  were  our  resolutions.  So 
long  as  we  were  in  the  right  we  knew  we  should  be 
recognized  by  those  whose  views  were  not  limited  or 
bound  by  such  narrow  confines  as  prejudice  and 
caste,  whether  they  were  at  West  Point  or  elsewhere. 
Confident  that  right  on  our  own  part  would  secure 
us  just  treatment  from  others,  that  "  if  we  but  prove 
ourselves  possessed  of  some  good  qualities"  we  could 
find  friends  among  both  faculty  and  students. 

I  came  to  West  Point,  notwithstanding  I  had  heard 
so  much  about  the  Academy  well  fit  to  dishearten 
and  keep  one  away.  And  then,  too,  at  the  time  I 
had  no  object  in  seeking  the  appointment  other  than 
to  gratify  an  ordinary  ambition.  Several  friends 
were  opposed  to  my  accepting  it,  and  even  persuaded 
me,  or  rather  attempted  to  persuade  me,  to  give  up 
the  idea  altogether.  I  was  inexorable.  I  had  set 
my  mind  upon  West  Point,  and  no  amount  of  per- 
suasion, and  no  number  of  harrowing  narratives  of 
bad  treatment,  could  have  induced  me  to  relinquish 
the  object  I  had  in  view.  But  I  was  right.  The 
work  I  chose,  and  from  which  I  could  not  flinch 
without  dishonor,  proved  far  more  important  than 
either  my  friends  or  myself  at  first  thought  it 
would  be. 

Let  me  not,  however,  anticipate.  Of  this  import- 
ance more  anon. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CA1STT     TERMS,     ETC. 


AS  a  narrative  of  this  description  is  very  apt  to  be 
dry  and  uninteresting,  I  have  thought  it  possible 
to  remove  in  a  measure  this  objection  by  using  as 
often  as  convenient  the  cant  lingo  of  the  corps.  A 
vocabulary  which  shall  contain  it  all,  or  nearly  all, 
becomes  necessary.  I  have  taken  great  care  to  make 
it  as  full  as  possible,  and  at  the  same  time  as  intel- 
ligible as  possible. 

There  are  a  few  cant  words  and  expressions  which 
are  directly  personal,  and  in  many  cases  self-ex- 
planatory.    They  are  for  such  reasons  omitted. 

' '  Animal, "  "  animile, "  "  beast, "  "  reiDtile. ' ' — 
Synonymous  terms  applied  to  candidates  for  ad- 
mission into  the  Academy. 

"  Plebe." — A  candidate  after  admission,  a  new 
cadet.  After  the  candidates  are  examined  and  the 
proficient  ones  admitted,  these  latter  are  known 
officially  as  "  new  cadets,"  but  in  the  cant  vernacu- 
lar of  the  corps  they  are  dubbed  "  plebes,"  and  they 
retain  this  designation  till  the  candidates  of  the  next 
year  report.  They  are  then  called  "yearlings,"  a 
title  applied  usually  to  them  in  camp  only.  After 
the  encampment  they  become  "  furloughmen"  until 
they  return  from  furlough  in  August  of  the  follow- 
ing year.  They  then  are  "second-classmen,"  and 
are  so  officially  and  a  la  cadet  throughout  the  year. 


50  THE   COLOEED    CADET   AT   WEST   POINT. 

From  this  time  till  they  graduate  they  are  known  as 
the  "graduating  class,"  so  that,  except  the  second 
class,  each  class  has  its  own  peculiar  cant  designation. 

Candidates  generally  report  in  May — about  the 
20th — and  during  July  and  August  are  in  camp. 
This  is  their  "  plebe  camp."  The  next  is  their 
"  yearling  camp."  During  the  next  they  are  en 
conge,  and  the  next  and  last  is  their  "  first-class 
camp."  Of  "plebe  camp,"  "  yearling  camp,"  and 
"  first-class  camp,"  more  anon. 

"Rapid." — A  "plebe"  is  said  to  be  "rapid" 
when  he  shows  a  disposition  to  resist  hazing,  or  to 
"bone  familiarity"  with  older  cadets — i.e.,  upper 
classmen. 

"  Sep." — A  cadet  who  reported  for  admission  in 
September. 

"  Fins." — A  term  applied  to  the  hands  generally, 
of  course  to  the  hands  of  "  plebes." 

"  Prelim." — A  preliminary  examination. 

"  Pred." — A  predecessor. 

"  Pony." — A  key,  a  corrige. 

"  To  bone." — To  study,  to  endeavor  to  do  well  in 
any  particular  ;  for  instance,  to  "  bone  demerits"  is 
to  strive  to  get  as  few  as  possible. 

"  To  bone  popularity." — This  alludes  to  a  habit 
practised,  especially  by  "  yearlings"  while  in  camp, 
and  is  equivalent  to  our  every-day  expression  in  civil 
life,  viz.,  "  to  get  in  with." 

"  To  bugle  it." — To  avoid  a  recitation.  To  avoid 
a  recitation  is  an  act  seldom  done  by  any  cadet.  It 
is  in  fact  standing  at  the  board  during  the  whole 
time  of  recitation  without  turning  around,  and  thus 
making  known  a  readiness  to  recite.    At  the  Academy 


THE  COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.       51 

a  bugle  takes  the  place  of  the  bell  in  civil  schools. 
When  the  bugle  is  blown  those  sections  at  recitation 
are  dismissed,  and  others  come  in.  Now,  if  one 
faces  the  board  till  the  bugle  blows,  there  is  not  then 
enough  time  for  him  to  recite,  and  he  is  said  to  have 
"  bugled  it."  Some  instructors  will  call  on  any  one 
who  shows  a  disposition  to  do  so,  and  will  require 
him  to  tell  what  he  knows  about  his  subject. 

"  Busted,"  "  broken." — These  words  apply  only 
to  cadet  officers  who  are  reduced  to  ranks. 

"A  cold  case." — A  sure  thing,  a  foregone  con- 
clusion. 

"  To  get  chevrons." — To  receive  an  appointment 
in  the  battalion  organization.  Each  year,  on  the  day 
the  graduates  receive  their  diplomas,  and  just  after 
— possibly  just  before — they  are  relieved  from  fur- 
ther duty  at  the  Academy,  the  order  fixing  the  ap- 
pointments for  the  next  year  is  read,  and  those  of 
the  year  previous  revoked.  It  has  been  customary 
to  appoint  the  officers,  captains,  and  lieutenants  from 
the  first  class,  the  sergeants  from  the  second,  and 
the  corporals  from  the  third.  This  custom  has  at 
times,  and  for  reasons,  been  departed  from,  and  the 
officers  chosen  as  seemed  best. 

For  any  offence  of  a  grave  nature,  any  one  who 
has  chevrons  is  liable  to  lose  them,  or,  in  other 
words,  to  be  reduced  to  ranks. 

"  A  cifc." — Any  citizen. 

"  To  crawl  over." — To  haze,  generally  in  the  se- 
verest manner  possible. 

"  A  chapel." — An  attendance  at  church. 

"  To  curse  out." — To  reprimand,  to  reprove,  and 


52       THE  COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

also  simply  to  interview.     This  expression  does  not 
by  any  means  imply  the  use  of  oaths. 

"  To  cut,"  "  To  cut  cold." — To  avoid,  to  ostracize. 

"  Debauch."  — Any  ceremony  or  any  tiling  un- 
usual. It  may  be  a  pleasant  chat,  a  drill,  or  any 
thing  that  is  out  of  the  usual  routine. 

"  To  drive  a  squad." — To  march  it. 

"  Dropped." — Wot  promoted. 

"  To  eat  up." — See  "  To  crawl  over." 

"  Exaggerations." — It  is  a  habit  of  the  cadets  to 
exaggerate  on  certain  occasions,  and  especially  when 
policing.  "A  log  of  wood,"  "a  saw-mill,"  "a 
forest,"  and  kindred  expressions,  are  applied  to  any 
fragment  of  wood  of  any  description  that  may  be 
lying  about.  A  feather  is  "a  pillow;"  a  straw, 
"  a  broom  factory  ;"  a  pin,  an  "  iron  foundry  ;"  a 
cotton  string,  "  a  cotton  factory  ;"  and  I  have  known 
a  "  plebe"  to  be  told  to  "  get  up  that  sugar  refinery," 
which  "  refinery"  was  a  cube  of  sugar  crushed  by 
some  one  treading  upon  it. 

Any  thing — whatever  it  may  be — which  must  be 
policed,  is  usually  known  by  some  word  or  term 
suggested  by  its  use  or  the  method  or  the  place  of 
its  manufacture. 

"To  find." — To  declare  deficient  in  studies  or 
discipline. 

An  "extra"  is  an  extra  tour  of  guard  duty  given 
as  punishment.  Cadets  on  "extra"  are  equipped 
as  for  parade,  and  walk  in  the  area  of  Cadet  Bar- 
racks from  two  o'  clock  until  retreat,  or  from  two  to 
five  hours,  on  Saturday  or  other  days  of  the  week. 
An  "extra"  is  sometimes  called  a  "  Saturday  Pun- 
ishment." 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POUSTT.  53 

"  A  fern,"  "  femme." — Any  female  person. 

"  A  file." — Any  male  person. 

' c  Fessed, ' '  ' '  f essed  cold, "  "  f essed  frigid, "  "  f  ess- 
ed  out,"  and  "  fessed  through." — Made  a  bad  recita- 
tion, failed. 

"  To  get  off." — To  perpetrate. 

"A  gag,"  "Grin,"  "Grind." — Something  witty, 
a  repartee. 

"  To  hive." — To  detect,  used  in  a  good  and  bad 
sense.     Also  to  take,  to  steal. 

"  To  hoop  up." — To  hasten,  to  hurry. 

"  H.  M.  P." — Hop  manager's  privileges. 

' '  A  keen. ' '  —See  ' '  Gag, ' '  etc. 

"  To  leap  on." — See  "  To  crawl  over." 

"  Made." — Given  an  appointment,  given  chevrons 
as  an  officer  in  the  battalion  organization. 

"A  make." — Such  an  appointment. 

"  Maxed." — Made  a  thorough  recitation. 

"  Ath."—  The  last  one. 

"  To  pile  in." — To  retire. 

"  To  pink."— To  report  for  any  offence. 

"  To  plant." — To  bury  with  military  honors. 

"  To  police  one's  self." — To  bathe. 

"  To  pot." — "  To  pink,"  which  see. 

'*  Prof." — Professor. 

"  To  put  in." — To  submit  in  writing. 

"  To  put  into  the  battalion." — To  assign  to  a  com- 
pany, as  in  case  of  new  cadets. 

"  Ragged,"  "  ragged  out." — Made  a  good  recita- 
tion. 

"Reveilles." — Old  shoes,  easy  and  comfortable, 
worn  to  reveille  roll-call, 

(l  Reekless,  ricochet," — Careless,  indifferent. 
3 


54      THE  COL® RED  CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

"  To  run  it."  — To  do  any  thing  forbidden.     To 
risk. 

"  To  run  it  on." — To  impose  upon. 

"  Shout." — Excellent,  i.e.-,  will  create  much  com- 
ment and  praise. 

"  Sketch-house.  "• — The  Drawing  Academy. 

"  To  skin." — See  "  To  pink"  (most  common). 

"  To  be  spooney." — To  be  gallant. 
-"To  spoon." — To  be  attentive  to  ladies. 

"  A  spoon." — A  sweetheart. 

' '  Shungudgeon. ' '  — A  stew. 

"  Supe." — Superintendent. 

"  To  step  out."— See  "  To  hoop  up." 

"  Topog." — A  topographical  drawing. 

"  To  turn  in." — To  repair  to  one's  quarters. 

"  To  be  sent  in." — To  order  any  thing  sent  in. 

"  To  turn  out." — To  come  out,  or  send  out. 

"  To  be  white,"  "  To  treat  white." — To  be  polite, 
courteous,  and  gentlemanly. 

"  To  wheaten." — To  be  excused  by  surgeon. 

"  To  yank." — To  seize  upon  violently. 

"  O.  Gr.  P." — Old  guard  privileges. 

"  Chem." — Chemistry. 

"  Math." — Mathematics. 

"  Phil."—  Philosophy. 

' '  Rocks. ' '  — Mineralogy. 

"  Wigwag."— Signalling. 

"  To  get  out  of." — To  shun,  to  shirk. 

"Thing."— A  "plebe." 

"  To  extinguish."- — To  distinguish. 

"  To  go  for."—  To  haze. 

"House." — Room,  quarters. 
"  To  freeze  to." — To  hold  firmly. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  55 

"  To  wipe  out." — To  destroy. 

' '  Limbo. ' '  — Confinement. 

"  Solemnclioly." — Sad,  dejected. 

"Plebeskin." — A  rubber  overcoat  issued  to  new 
cadets. 

"Turnbacks." — Cadets  turned  back  to  a  lower 
class. 

' '  Div, ' '  subdiv. ' '  — Division,  subdivision. 

"  Devils." — Fellows  familiarly. 
'     ' '  Tab. ' '  — Tabular  system  of  French. 

"To  celebrate. ' '  —To  do. 

"  A  stayback." — A  graduate  detained  at  gradua- 
tion to  instruct  the  new  cadets.* 

"  Scratch  day." — A  day  when  lessons  are  hard 
or  numerous. 

"  Gum  game." — A  joke. 
"  To  fudge." — To  copy. 

BENNY  HAVENS  O. 

[A  number  of  cadets  sitting  or  lounging  about  the  room.  One  at 
table  pouring  out  the  drinks.  As  soon  as  he  is  done  he  takes  up  his 
own  glass,  and  says  to  the  others,  "  Come,  fellows,"  and  then  all 
together  standing  :] 

Stand  up  in  a  row, 

For  sentimental  drinking  we're  going  for  to  go ; 

In  the  army  there's  sobriety,  promotion's  very  slow, 

So  we'll  cheer  our  hearts  with  choruses  of  Benny  Havens'  O. 

Of  Benny  Havens'  O,  of  Benny  Havens'  O, 

We'll  cheer  our  hearts  with  choruses  of  Benny  Havens*  0, 

*  When  the  cadets  are  in  barracks,  the  officer  of  the  guard  on 
Sundays  either  has  or  assumes  authority  to  detain  from  church,  for 
any  emergency  that  might  arise,  one  or  two  or  more  members  of  his 
guard,  in  addition  to  those  on  post  on  duty.  Cadets  so  detained  are 
called  "  staybacks." 


56  THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT. 

When  you  and  I  and  Benny,  and  General  Jackson  too, 

Are  brought  before  the  final  Board  our  course  of  life  t'  review, 

May  we  never  "  fess"  on  any  point,  but  then  be  told  to  go 

To  join  the  army  of  the  blest  at  Benny  Havens'  O. 

At  Benny  Havens'  O,  at  Benny  Havens'  O, 

To  join  the  army  of  the  blest  at  Benny  Havens'  O. 

To  the  ladies  of  the  army  let  our  bumpers  ever  flow, 

Companions  of  our  exile,  our  shield  'gainst  every  woe, 

May  they  see  their  husbands  generals  with  double  pay  to  show, 

And  indulge  in  reminiscences  of  Benny  Havens'  O. 

Of  Benny  Havens  O,  of  Benny  Havens'  O, 

And  indulge  in  reminiscences  of  Benny  Havens'  O. 

'Tis  said  by  commentators,  in  the  land  where  we  must  go 

We  follow  the  same  handicraft  we  followed  here  below ; 

If  this  be  true  philosophy  (the  sexton,  he  says  no), 

What  days  of  dance  and  song  we'll  have  at  Benny  Havens'  O. 

At  Benny  Havens'  O,  at  Benny  Havens'  O, 

What  days  of  dance  and  song  we'll  have  at  Benny  Havens'  O  ! 

To  the  ladies  of  the  Empire  State,  whose  hearts  and  albums  too 
Bear  sad  remembrance  of  the  wrongs  we  stripling  soldiers  do, 
We  bid  you  all  a  kind  farewell,  the  best  recompense  we  know — 
Our  loves  and  rhymings  had  their  source  at  Benny  Havens'  O. 
At  Benny  Havens'  O,  at  Benny  Havens'  O, 
Our  loves  and  rhymings  had  their  source  at  Benny  Havens'  O. 

[Tben,  with  due   solemnity,  every  head  uncovered  and  bowed 
low,  they  sing  :] 

There  comes  a  voice  from  Florida,  from  Tampa's  lonely  shore  ; 

It  is  the  wail  of  gallant  men,  O'Brien  is  no  more  ; 

In  the  land  of  sun  and  flowers  his  head  lies  pillowed  low, 

No  more  to  sing  petite  coquille  at  Benny  Havens'  O. 

At  Benny  Havens'  0,  at  Benny  Havens'  O, 

No  more  to  sing  petite  coquille  at  Benny  Havens'  O,  etc. 


CHAPTER  V. 

PLEBE    CAMP. 

^T)LEBE  CAMP  !"  The  very  words  are  sugges- 
J-  tive.  Those  who  have  been  cadets  know  what 
' '  plebe  camp'  'is.  To  a  plebe  just  beginning  his  mili- 
tary career  the  first  experience'of  camp  is  most  trying. 
To  him  every  thing  is  new.  Every  one  seems  de- 
termined to  impose  npon  him,  and  each  individual 
' c  plebe' '  fancies  at  times  he' s  picked  out  from  all  the 
rest  as  an  especially  good  subject  for  this  abuse  (?). 
It  is  not  indeed  a  very  pleasant  prospect  before  him, 
nor  should  he  expect  it  to  be.  But  what  must  be 
his  feelings  when  some  old  cadet  paints  for  his  pleas- 
ure camp  scenes  and  experiences  %  Whatever  he 
may  have  known  of  camp  life  before  seems  as 
naught  to  him  now.  It  is  a  new  sort  of  life  he  is  to 
lead  there,  and  he  feels  himself,  although  curious 
and  anxious  to  test  it,  somewhat  shy  of  entering 
such  a  place.  There  is  no  alternative.  He  accepts 
it  resignedly  and  goes  ahead.  It  is  not  always  with 
smiling  countenance  that  he  marches  out  and 
surveys  the  site  after  reveille.  Indeed,  those  who 
do  have  almost  certainly  received  a  highly  colored 
sketch  of  camp  life,  and  are  hastening  to  sad  disap- 
pointment, and  not  at  all  to  the  joys  they've  been 
led  to  expect.  He  marches  into  the  company 
streets.  He  surveys  them  carefully  and  recognizes 
what  is  meant  by  "  the  plebes  have  to  do  all  the 


58  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

policing,"  servants  being  an  unknown  luxury.  He 
also  sees  the  sentry-boxes  and  the  paths  the  senti- 
nels tread,  and  shudders  as  he  recollects  the  tales 
of  midnight  adventure  which  some  wily  cadet  has 
narrated  to  him.  Imagination  begins  her  cruel 
work.  Already  he  sees  himself  lying  at  the  bottom 
of  Fort  Clinton  Ditch  tied  in  a  blanket,  or  perhaps 
fetterless  and  free,  but  helpless.  Or  he  may  imagine 
his  hands  are  tied  to  one,  and  his  feet  to  the  other 
tent-pole,  and  himself  struggling  for  freedom  as  he 
recognizes  that  the  reveille  gun  has  been  fired  and 
those  merciless  fifers  and  drummers  are  rapidly 
finishing  the  reveille.  And,  horror  of  horrors  ! 
mayhap  his  fancies  picture  him  standing  trembling- 
ly on  post  at  midnight's  solemn  hour,  his  gun  just 
balanced  in  his  hands,  while  numbers  of  cadets  in 
hideous  sheets  and  other  ghostly  garb  approach  or 
are  aleady  standing  around  torturing  him.  And 
again,  perchance,  he  challenges  some  approaching 
person  in  one  direction,  and  finds  to  his  dismay  the 
officer  of  the  day,  the  officer  of  the  guard,  and  a  cor- 
poral are  crossing  and  recrossing  his  post,  or  having 
already  advanced  without  being  challenged,  are 
demanding  why  it  is,  and  why  he  has  been  so  neg- 
ligent. 

Just  after  reveille  on  the  morning  of  June  22d 
the  companies  were  marched  to  their  company 
streets,  and  the  ' c  plebes' '  assigned  to  each  followed 
in  rear.  At  the  time  only  the  tent  floors  and  cord 
stays  were  on  the  ground.  These  former  the 
' '  plebes' '  were  ordered  to  align.  This  we  did  while 
the  old  cadets  looked  on,  occasionally  correcting  or 
making  some  suggestion.     It  required  considerable 


THE   COLORED    CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  59 

time  to  do  this,  as  we  were  inexperienced  and  had  to 
await  some  explanation  of  what  we  were  to  do. 

When  at  last  we  were  done,  tents,  or  rather  tent 
floors,  were  assigned  to  us.  We  thence  returned  to 
barracks  and  to  breakfast.  Our  more  bulky  effects 
were  carried  into  camp  on  wagons  before  breakfast, 
while  the  lighter  articles  were  moved  over  by  our 
own  hands.  By,  or  perhaps  before,  eleven  o'clock 
every  thing  had  been  taken  to  camp.  By  twelve  we 
were  in  ranks  ready  to  march  in.  At  the  last  stroke 
of  the  clock  the  column  was  put  in  march,  and  we 
marched  in  with  all  the  ' '  glory  of  war. ' '  We  stacked 
arms  in  the  company  streets,  broke  ranks,  and  each 
repaired  to  the  tent  assigned  him,  which  had  by  this 
time  been  brought  over  and  placed  folded  *on  the 
tent  floors.  They  were  rapidly  prepared  for  raising, 
and  at  a  signal  made  on  a  drum  the  tents  were  raised 
simultaneously,  'mid  rousing  cheers,  which  told 
that  another  "  camp"  was  begun. 

After  this  we  had  dinner,  and  then  we  put  our 
tents  in  order.  At  four  o'clock  the  police-call  was 
sounded,  and  all  the  "  plebes"  were  turned  out  to 
police  the  company  streets.  This  new  phase  of  West 
Point  life — and  its  phases  rapidly  developed  them- 
selves—  was  a  hard  one  indeed.  The  duties  are 
menial,  and  very  few  discharge  them  without  some 
show  of  displeasure,  and  often  of  temper.  None  are 
exempt.  It  is  not  hard  work,  and  yet  every  one 
objects  to  doing  it.  The  third  and  fourth  classes, 
by  regulations,  are  required  to  do  the  policing. 
When  I  was  a  plebe,  the  plebes  did  it  all.  Many 
indeed  tried  to  shirk  it,  but  they  were  invariably 
"hived."      Every  plebe  who  attempted  any  such 


60  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT* 

thing  was  closely  watched  and  made  to  work.     The 
old  cadets  generally  chose  such  men  for  "  special 
dutymen,"  and  required  them  to  bring  water,  pile 
bedding,  sweep  the  floor,  and  do  all  sorts  of  menial 
services.     Of  course  all  this  last  is  prohibited,  and 
therefore  risky.     Somebody  is  ' '  hived ' '  and  severely 
punished  almost  every  year  for  allowing  plebes  to 
perform  menial  duties  for  him.     But  what  of  that  % 
The  more  dangerous  it  becomes  the  more  is  it  prac- 
tised.    Forbidden  things  always   have  an  alluring 
sweetness  about  them.     More  caution,  however,  is 
observed.     If,  for  instance,  a  cadet  should  want  a 
pail  of  water,  he  causes  a  plebe  to  empty  his  (the 
plebe' s)  into  his  own  (the  cadet's).     If  it  should  be 
empty,  he  sends  him  to  the  hydrant  to  fill  it,  and, 
when  he  returns,  gets  possession  of  it  as  before.     An 
officer  seeing  a  plebe  with  his  own  pail — recognizable 
by  his  own  name  being  on  it  in  huge  Roman  char- 
acters— going  for  water  would  say  nothing  to  him. 
If  the  name,  however,  should  be  that  of  a  cadet,  the 
plebe  would  be  fortunate  if  he  escaped  an  investiga- 
tion or  a  reprimand  on  the  spot,  and  the  cadet,  too, 
if  he  were  not  put  in  arrest  for  allowing  a  new  cadet 
to  perform  menial  services  for  him.     If  he  wants  a 
dipper  of  iced- water,  he  calls  out  to  the  first  plebe 
he  sees  in  some  such  manner  as  this  :    "  Oh  !   Mr. 

,   don't  you  want  to  borrow  my  dipper  for  a 

little  while?"  The  plebe  of  course  understands 
this.  He  may  smile  possibly,  and  if  not  serving 
some  punishment  will  go  for  the  water. 

Plebes  are  also  required  to  clean  the  equipments 
of  the  older  cadets.  They  do  it  cheerfully,  and, 
strange  to  say,  are  as  careful  not  to  be  "hived"  as 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  61 

the  cadet  whose  accoutrements  they  are  cleaning.  I 
say  "  required."  I  do  not  mean  that  regulations  or 
orders  require  this  of  the  new  cadets,  but  that  the 
cadets  by  way  of  hazing  do.  From  the  heartrending 
tales  of  hazing  at  West  Point,  which  citizens  some- 
times read  of,  one  would  think  the  plebes  would  offer 
some  resistance  or  would  complain  to  the  authorities. 
These  tales  are  for  the  most  part  untrue.  In  earlier 
days  perhaps  hazing  was  practised  in  a  more  in- 
human manner  than  now.  It  may  be  impossible, 
and  indeed  is,  for  a  plebe  to  cross  a  company  street 
without  having  some  one  yell  out  to  him  :  "Get 
your  hands  around,  mister.  Hold  your  head  up  ;' ' 
but  all  that  is  required  by  tactics.  Perhaps  the  fre- 
quency and  unnecessary  repetition  of  these  cautions 
give  them  the  appearance  of  hazing.  However  that 
may  be,  there  seems  to  be  no  way  to  impress  upon 
a  plebe  the  necessity  of  carrying  his  "  palms  to  the 
front,"  or  his  "  head  up."  To  report  him  and  give 
him  demerits  merely  causes  him  to  laugh  and  joke 
over  the  number  of  them  that  have  been  recorded 
against  him. 

I  do  not  mean  to  defend  hazing  in  any  sense  of 
the  word  ;  but  I  do  believe  that  it  is  indispensable 
as  practised  at  the  Academy.  It  would  simply  be 
impossible  to  mould  and  polish  the  social  amalgama- 
tion at  West  Point  without  it.  Some  of  the  rouerh 
specimens  annually  admitted  care  nothing  for  regu- 
lations. It  is  fun  to  them  to  be  punished.  Nothing 
so  effectually  makes  a  plebe  submissive  as  hazing. 
That  contemptuous  look  and  imperious  bearing- 
lowers  a  plebe,  I  [sometimes  think,  in  his  own  esti- 
mation.    He  is  in  a  manner  cowed  and  made  to  feel 


62  THE   COLORED   CADET   AT  WEST   POINT. 

that  he  must  obey,  and  not  disobey  ;  to  feel  that  he 
is  a  plebe,  and  must  expect  a  plebe' s  portion.  He 
is  taught  by  it  to  stay  in  his  place,  and  not  to  "bone 
popularity"  with  the  older  cadets. 

It  is  frequently  said  that  "plebe  camp"  and 
"  plebe  life"  are  the  severest  parts  of  life  at  West 
Point.  To  some  they  are,  and  to  others  they  are 
not.  With  my  own  'self  I  was  almost  entirely  free 
from  hazing,  and  while  there  were  features  in 
"plebe  life"  which  I  disliked,  I  did  nevertheless 
have  a  far  easier  and  better  time  than  my  own  white 
classmates.  Even  white  plebes  often  go  through 
their  camp  pleasantly  and  profitably.  Only  those 
who  shirk  duty  have  to  suffer  any  unusual  punish- 
ment or  hazing. 

I  have  known  plebes  to  be  permitted  to  do  any 
thing  they  chose  while  off  duty.  I  have  known 
others  to  have  been  kept  working  on  their  guns  or 
other  equipments  Avhole  days  for  several  days  at  a 
time.  It  mattered  not  how  clean  they  were,  or  how 
soon  the  work  was  done.  I've  known  them  to  be 
many  times  interrupted  for  the  mere  sake  of  hazing, 
and  perhaps  to  be  sent  somewhere  or  to  do  some- 
thing which  was  unnecessary  and  would  have  been 
as  well  undone.  Plebes  who  tent  with  first-classmen 
keep  their  own  tents  in  order,  and  are  never  per- 
mitted by  their  tentmates  to  do  any  thing  of  the  kind 
for  others  unless  when  wanted,  are  entirely  unoccu- 
pied, and  then  usually  their  services  are  asked  for. 
A  classmate  of  mine,  when  a  plebe,  tented  with  a 
first-classman.  He  was  doing  something  for  him- 
self one  day  in  a  free-and-easy  manner,  and  had  no 
thought  of  disturbing  any  one.     A  yearling  cor- 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  63 

poral,  who  was  passing,  saw  him,  thought  he  was 
having  too  good  and  soft  a  time  of  it,  and  ordered 
him  out  to  tighten  cords,  an  act  then  highly  un- 
called for,  save  as  a  means  of  hazing.  The  first- 
classman  happened  to  come  up  just  as  the  plebe 
began  to  interfere  with  the  cords,  and  asked  him 
who  told  him  to  do  that.  He  told  him,  and.  was  at 
once  directed  to  leave  them  and  return  to  whatever 
he  was  doing  before  being  interrupted.  The  year- 
ling, confident  in  his  red  tape  and  his  mightiness, 
ordered  the  plebe  out  again.  His  corporalship  soon 
discovered  his  mistake,  for  the  first-classman  gave 
the  plebe  fall  information  as  to  what  could  be  re- 
quired of  him,  and  told  him  to  disobey  any  improper 
order  of  the  corporal' s  which  was  plainly  given  to 
haze  him.  The  affair  was  made  personal.  A  fight 
ensued.  The  corporal  was  worsted,  to  the  delight, 
I  imagine,  of  the  plebes. 

Again,  I've  known  plebes  to  be  stopped  from 
work — if  they  were  doing  something  for  a  cadet — -to 
transfer  it  to  some  other  one  who  was  accustomed  to 
shirk  all  the  duty  he  could,  or  who  did  things  slowly 
and  slovenly.  Indeed  I  may  assert  generally  that 
plebes  who  are  willing  to  work  have  little  to  do  out- 
side of  their  regular  duty,  and  fare  in  plebe  camp 
quite  as  well  as  yearlings  ;  while  those  who  are  stub- 
born and  careless  are  required  to  do  most  all  the 
work.  Cadets  purposely  select  them  and  make 
them  work.  They,  too,  are  very  frequently  objects  of 
hazing  in  its  severest  form.  At  best,  though,  plebe 
camjj  is  rather  hard,  its  numerous  drills,  together 
with  guard  and  police  duty,  make  it  the  severest 


64:  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

and  most  undesirable  portion  of  the  four  years  a 
cadet  spends  at  the  Academy. 

To  get  up  at  five  o'clock  and  be  present  at  re- 
veille roll-call,  to  police  for  half  an  hour,  to  have 
squad  drill  during  the  next  hour,  to  put  one's  tent 
in  order  after  that,  and  then  to  prepare  one's  self  for 
breakfast  at  seven,  make  up  a  rather  trying  round 
of  duties  To  discharge  them  all — and  that  must 
certainly  be  done — keeps  one  busy  ;  but  who  would 
not  prefer  little  extra  work — and  not  hard  work  at 
that — in  the  cooler  part  of  the  day  to  an  equal 
amount  in  the  heated  portion  of  it  %  I  am  sure  the 
plebes  do.  I  know  the  corporals  and  other  officers 
who  drill  them  do,  although  they  lose  their  after- 
reveille  sleep. 

After  breakfast  comes  troop  parade  at  eight 
o'clock,  guard  mounting  immediately  after,  and 
the  establishment  of  the  "color  line."  Arms  and 
accoutrements  must  be  in  perfect  order.  The 
plebes  clean  them  during  the  afternoon,  so  that  be- 
fore parade  it  is  seldom  necessary  to  do  more  than 
wipe  off  dust,  or  adjust  a  belt,  or  something  of  the 
kind. 

After  establishing  the  "color  line,"  which  is 
done  about  8.30  a.m.,  all  cadets,  save  those  on  guard 
and  those  marching  on,  have  time  to  do  whatever 
they  choose.  The  cadets  generally  repair  to  the 
guard  tents  to  see  lady  friends  and  other  acquaint- 
ances, while  the  plebes  either  interest  themselves  in 
the  inspection  of  "  color  men,"  or  make  ready  for 
artillery  drill  at  nine.  The  latter  drill,  commencing 
at  9  a.m.,  continues  for  one  hour.  The  yearlings 
and  plebes  receive  instruction   in  the  manual  and 


THE   COLOKED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  65 

nomenclature  of  the  piece.  The  drill  is  not  very 
trying  unless  the  heavy  guns  are  used — I  mean  un- 
less they  are  drilled  at  the  battery  of  twelve-pound- 
ers. Of  late  both  classes  have  been  drilled  at  bat- 
teries of  three-inch  rifles.  These  are  light  and  easily 
manoeuvred,  and  unless  the  heat  be  intense  the  drill 
is  a  very  pleasant  one. 

The  first  class,  during  this  same  hour,  are  drilled 
at  the  siege  or  seacoast  battery.  The  work  here  is 
sometimes  hard  and  sometimes  not.  When  firing, 
the  drill  is  pleasant  and  interesting,  but  when  we 
have  mechanical  manoeuvres  all  this  pleasantness 
vanishes.  Then  we  have  hard  work.  Dismounting 
and  mounting  is  not  a  very  pleasant  recreation. 

At  eleven  o'clock,  every  day  for  a  week  or  ten 
days,  the  plebes  have  manual  drill.  This  is  entirely 
in  the  shade,  and  when  "In  pi  ace,  rest,"  is  fre- 
quently given,  is  not  at  all  displeasing,  except  when 
some  yearling  corporal  evinces  a  disposition  to  haze. 
At  five  o'  clock  this  drill  is  repeated.  Then  comes 
parade,  supper,  tattoo,  and  best  of  all  a  long  night's 
rest.  The  last  two  drills  continue  for  a  few  days 
only,  and  sometimes  do  not  take  place  at  all. 

The  third  class,  or  the  yearlings,  have  dancing 
from  eleven  to  twelve,  and  the  plebes  from  then  till 
one.  In  the  afternoon  the  plebes  have  nothing  to 
do  in  the  way  of  duty  till  four  o'clock.  The  camp 
is  then  policed,  and  when  that  is  done  there  may  or 
may  not  be  any  further  duty  to  discharge  till  retreat 
parade.  After  the  plebes  are  put  in  the  battalion — 
that  is,  after  they  begin  drilling,  etc.,  with  their 
companies — all  cadets  attend  company  drill  at  five 
o'clock.     After  attending  a  few  of  these  drills  the 


66  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

first  class  is  excused  from  further  attendance  dur- 
ing the  encampment.  One  officer  and  the  requisite 
number  of  privates,  however,  are  detailed  from  the 
class  each  day  to  act  as  officers  at  these  drills. 

I  omitted  to  say  that  the  first  class  received  in 
the  forenoon  instruction  in  practical  military  en- 
gineering and  ordnance. 

What  most  tries  plebes,  and  yearlings,  too,  is 
guard  duty.  If  their  classes  are  small,  each  mem- 
ber of  them  is  put  on  guard  every  third  or  fourth 
day.  To  the  plebes,  being  something  entirely  new, 
guard  duty  is  very,  very  obnoxious. 

During  the  day  they  fare  well  enough,  but  as 
soon  as  night  comes  "well  enough"  disappears. 
They  are  liable  at  any  moment  to  be  visited  by 
cadets  on  a  hazing  tour  from  the  body  of  the  camp, 
or  by  the  officers  and  non-commissioned  officers  of 
the  guard.  The  latter  generally  leave  the  post  of 
the  guard  in  groups  of  three  or  four.  After  getting 
into  camp  they  separate,  and  manage  to  come  upon 
a  sentinel  simultaneously  and  from  all  points  of  the 
compass.  If  the  sentinel  isn't  cool,  he  will  challenge 
and  advance  one,  and  possibly  let  the  others  come 
upon  him  unchallenged  and  unseen  even.  Then  woe 
be  to  him  !  He'll  be  "  crawled  over"  for  a  cer- 
tainty, and  to  make  his  crimes  appear  as  bad  as 
possible,  will  be  reported  for  "  neglect  of  duty  while 
a  sentinel,  allowing  the  officers  and  non-commis- 
sioned officers  of  the  guard  to  advance  upon  him, 
and  to  cross  his  post  repeatedly  without  being  chal- 
lenged." He  knows  the  report  to  be  true,  and  if  he 
submits  an  explanation  for  the  offence  his  inexperi- 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  67 

ence  will  be  considered,  and  lie  will  probably  get  no 
demerits  for  Ms  neglect  of  dnty. 

Bnt  the  best  joke  of  all  is  in  their  manner  of 
calling  off  the  half-honrs  at  night,  and  of  challeng- 
ing. Sometimes  we  hear  No.  2  call  off,  "  No.  2,  ten 
o'clock,  and  all  is  well,"  in  a  most  natural  and  un- 
concerned tone  of  voice,  while  No.  3  may  sing  out, 
"No.  3,  ten  o'clock  and  all  is  well-1-1,"  changing 
his  tone  only  on  the  last  word.  Then  No.  4,  with 
another  variation,  may  call  off,  "  No.  4,  ten  o'clock, 
and  all-1-1-1'  s  well, ' '  changing  his  tone  on  ' '  all-1-1-1'  s, ' ' 
and  speaking  the  rest,  especially  the  last  word,  in  a 
low  and  natural  manner  of  voice,  and  sometimes 
abruptly.  And  so  on  along  the  entire  chain  of  senti- 
nels, each  one  calls  off  in  a  manner  different  from 
that  of  the  rest.  Sometimes  the  calling  off  is 
scarcely  to  be  heard,  sometimes  it  is  loud  and  full, 
and  again  it  is  distinct  but  squeakish.  It  is  indeed 
most  delightful  to  be  in  one's  tent  and  here  the 
plebes  call  off  in  the  still  quiet  hours  of  the  night. 
One  can't  well  help  laughing,  and  yet  all  plebes, 
more  or  less,  call  off  in  the  same  manner. 

Plebe  sentinels  are  very  troublesome  sometimes 
to  the  non-commissioned  officers  of  the  guard.  They 
receive  their  orders  time  after  time,  and  when  in- 
spected for  them  most  frequently  spit  them  out  with 
ease  and  readiness  ;  but  just  as  soon  as  night  comes, 
and  there  is  a  chance  to  apply  them,  they  "  fess 
utterly  cold,"  and  in  the  simplest  things  at  that. 
Nine  plebes  out  of  ten  almost  invariably  challenge 
thus,  "  Who  comes  here  f  "Who  stands  here?" 
"  Who  goes  here?"  as  the  case  may  be,  notwith- 
standing they  have  been  repeatedly  instructed  orally, 


68  THE   COLORED    CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

and  have  seen  the  words,  as  they  should  be,  in  the 
regulations.  If  a  person  is  going,  and  is  a  hundred 
yards  or  so  off,  it  is  still,  "Who  goes  here?" 
Everything  is  "  liere." 

One  night  the  officer  of  the  day  concealed  himself 
near  a  sentinel's  post,  and  suddenly  appeared  on 
it.  The  plebe  threw  his  gun  down  to  the  proper 
position  and  yelled  out,  "  Who  conies  here  ?"  The 
officer  of  the  day  stopped  short,  whereupon  the 
plebe  jumped  at  him  and  shouted,  "  Who  stands 
here?"  Immediately  the  officer  started  off,  say- 
ing as  he  did  so,  "I'm  not  standing;  I'm  going." 
Then  of  course  the  challenge  was  again  changed  to, 
"  Who  goes  here  f  "  I'm  not  going  ;  I'm  coming," 
said  the  officer,  facing  about  and  approaching  the 
sentinel.  This  was  kept  up  for  a  considerable  time, 
till  the  officer  of  the  'day  got  near  a  sentry-box  and 
suddenly  disappeared.  The  plebe  knew  he  was 
there,  and  yelled  in  a  louder  tone  than  before,  ' '  Who 
stands  here?  "Sentry-box,"  was  the  solemn  and 
ghostly  response. 

It  is  hardly  reasonable,  I  think,  to  say  the  plebe 
was  frightened  ;  but  he  actually  stood  there  motion- 
less, repeating  his  challenge  over  and  over  again, 
"  Who  stands  here  f" 

There  was  a  light  battery  in  park  near  by,  and 
through  this,  aided  by  the  gloom,  the  officer  of  the 
day  managed  to  pass  unobserved  along,  but  not  on 
the  sentinel's  post.  He  then  got  upon  it  and  ad- 
vanced on  him,  making  the  while  much  noise  with 
his  sword  and  his  heavy  tread.  He  walked  directly 
up  to  the  sentinel  unchallenged,  and  startled  him  by 
asking,  "  What  are  you  standing  here  yelling  for  ?" 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  69 

The  plebe  told  him  that  the  officer  of  the  day  had 
been  upon  his  post,  and  he  had  seen  him  go  behind 
the  sentry-box.  And  all  this  to  the  officer  of  the 
day,  standing  there  before  him,  "Well,  sir,  whom 
do  you  take  me  to  be  V 

The  plebe  looks,  and  for  the  first  time  brought 
to  full  consciousness,  recognizes  the  officer  of  the 
day.  Of  course  he  is  surprised,  and  the  more  so 
when  the  officer  of  the  day  inspects  for  his — the 
plebe' s  —  satisfaction  the  sentry-box,  and  finds  no 
one  there.  He  "eats"  that  plebe  up  entirely,  and 
then  sends  a  corporal  around  to  instruct  him  in  his 
orders.  When  the  corporal  comes  it  may  be  just  as 
difficult  to  advance  him.  He  may,  when  chal- 
lenged, advance  without  replying,  or,  if  he  replies, 
he  may  say,  "Steamboat,"  "Captain  Jack,  Queen 
of  the  Modocs,"  as  one  did  say  to  me,  or  some- 
thing or  somebody  else  not  entitled  to  the  counter- 
sign. Possibly  the  plebe  remembers  this,  and  he 
may  command  "  Halt !"  and  call  another  corporal. 
This  latter  may  come  on  a  run  at  "  charge  bayonets," 
and  may  not  stop  till  within  a  foot  or  so  of  the 
sentinel.  He  then  gets  another  "  cursing  out." 
By  this  time  the  corporal  who  first  came  and  was 
halted  has  advanced  unchallenged  and  unnoticed 
since  the  arrival  of  the  second.  And  then  another 
cursing  out.  Thus  it  is  that  plebe  camp  is  made  so 
hard. 

Surely  the  officers  and  non-commissioned  officers 
are  right  in  testing  by  all  manner  of  ruses  the  ability 
of  the  sentinels.  It  is  their  duty  to  instruct  them, 
to  see  that  they  know  their  orders,  and  are  not 
afraid  to  apply  them. 


TO  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

Sometimes  plebes  enjoy  it,  and  like  to  be  cursed 
out.  Sometimes  they  purposely  advance  toward  a 
party  improperly,  to  see  what  will  be  said  to  them. 
It  is  fun  to  some,  and  to  others  most  serious.  At 
best  it  gives  a  plebe  a  poor  opinion  of  West  Point, 
and  while  he  may  bear  it  meekly  he  nevertheless 
sighs  for  the 

" touch  of  a  vanished  hand," 

the  caressing  hand  of  a  loving  mother  or  sister.  I 
know  I  used  to  hate  the  very  name  of  camp,  and  I 
had  an  easier  time,  too,  than  the  other  plebes. 

Of  course  the  plebes,  being  inexperienced  for  the 
most  part,  are  "high  privates  in  the  rear  rank." 
For  another  reason,  also,  this  is  the  case.  The  first 
and  second  classes  have  the  right  established  by  im- 
memorial custom  of  marching  in  the  front  rank, 
which  right  necessarily  keeps  the  plebes  in  the  rear 
rank,  and  the  yearlings  too,  except  so  many  as  are 
required  in  the  front  rank  for  the  proper  formation 
of  the  company.  Another  reason,  perhaps,-  may  be 
given  to  the  same  end.  We  have  what  we  call  class 
rank,  or,  in  other  words,  class  standing.  Every  class 
has  certain  privileges  and  immunities,  which  the 
junior  classes  do  not  enjoy  ;  for  example,  first-class- 
men, and  second-classmen  too — by  General  Orders 
of  September,  1876 — are  excused  from  guard  duty 
in  the  capacity  of  privates,  and  are  detailed — first- 
ulassmen  for  officers  of  the  day  and  officers  vi  the 
guard,  and  second-classmen  for  non-commissioned 
officers  of  the  guard.  All  members  of  the  third  and 
fourth  classes  are  privates,  and  from  them  the  pri- 
vates of  the  guard  are  detailed.  All  officers,  com- 
missioned and  non-commissioned,  are  exempt  from 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  71 

'■'■Saturday  punishment"  I  mean  they  do  not 
walk  extra  tours  of  guard  for  punishment.  The 
non-commissioned  officers  are  sometimes  required  to 
serve  such  punishments  by  discharging  the  duties  of 
corporal  or  sergeant  in  connection  with  the  punish- 
ment squad.  Third-  and  fourth-classmen  enjoy  no 
such  immunities.  Plebes,  then,  having  no  rank  what- 
ever, being  in  fact  conditional  cadets  until  they  shall 
have  received  their  warrants  in  the  following  Jan- 
uary, must  give  way  to  those  who  have.  One  half 
or  more  of  the  privates  of  the  company  must  be  in 
the  front  rank.  This  half  is  made  up  of  those  who 
rank  highest,  first-classmen  and  second-classmen, 
and  also,  if  necessary,  a  number  of  third-  classmen. 
Plebes  must  then,  except  in  rare  cases,  march  in  the 
rear  rank,  and  from  the  time  they  are  put  in  the 
battalion  till  the  close  of  the  summer  encampment, 
they  are  required  to  carry  their  hands  with  palms  to 
the  front  as  prescribed  in  the  tactics. 

All  this  is  kept  up  till  the  close  -  of  camp,  and 
makes,  I  think,  plebe  camp  the  most  trying  part  of 
one' s  cadet  life. 

On  the  28th  of  August  the  furloughmen  return, 
and  report  to  the  commandant  at  two  o'clock  for 
duty. 

In  the  afternoon  the  battalion  is  sized  and  quar- 
ters are  assigned  under  the  supervision  of  the  assist- 
ant-instructors of  tactics. 

At  parade  the  appointment  of  officers  and  non- 
commissioned officers  for  the  ensuing  year  is  pub- 
lished, and  also  orders  for  the  discontinuance  of  the 
encampment. 

In  the  evening  the  "  twenty-eighth  hop1 '  takes 


72  THE   COLOKED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

place,  and  is  the  last  of  the  season.  On  the  29th — 
and  beginning  at  reveille — the  cadets  move  their 
effects  into  winter  quarters  in  barracks.  All  heavy- 
articles  are  moved  in  on  wagons,  while  all  lighter 
ones  are  carried  over  by  cadets  themselves.  By- 
seven  o'clock  everything  is  moved  away  from  camp, 
save  each  cadet's  accoutrements. 

Breakfast  is  served  at  7  a.m.,  and  immediately 
afterward  comes  "  troop"  and  guard-mounting,  after 
which  the  entire  camp  is  thoroughly  policed.  This 
requires  an  hour  or  more,  and  when  all  is  done  the 
"general"  is  sounded.  At  this  the  companies  are 
formed  under  arms  in  their  respective  company 
streets.  The  arms  are  then  stacked  and  ranks  broken. 
At  least  two  cadets  repair  to  each  tent,  and  at  the  first 
tap  of  the  drum  remove  and  roll  up  all  the  cords 
save  the  corner  ones.  At  the  second  tap,  while  one 
cadet  steadies  the  tent  the  other  removes  and  rolls 
the  corner  cords  nearest  him.  The  tents  in  the  body 
of  the  encampment  are  moved  back  two  feet,  more 
or  less,  from  the  color  line,  while  the  guard  tents 
and  those  of  the  company  officers  are  moved  in  a 
northerly  direction.  At  the  third  tap  the  tents  fall 
simultaneously  toward  the  color  line  and  the  south 
cardinal  point,  amid  rousing  cheers.  The  tents 
being  neatly  rolled  up  and  placed  on  the  floors,  the 
companies  are  reformed  and  on  the  centre.  The 
battalion  then  marches  out  to  take  up  its  winter 
quarters  in  barracks. 

When  camp  is  over  the  plebes  are  no  longer  re- 
quired to  depress  their  toes  or  to  carry  their  hands 
with  palms  to  the  front.  They  are,  in  fact,  "  cadets 
and  gentlemen,"  and  must  take  care  of  themselves. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

STUDIES,  ETC. 

THE  academic  year  begins  July  1st,  and  continues 
till  about  June  20th  the  following  year.  As  soon 
after  this  as  practicable — depending  upon  what  time 
the  examination  is  finished — the  corps  moves  into 
camp,  with  the  exception  of  the  second  class,  who 
go  on  furlough  instead. 

Between  the  20th  of  August  and  the  1st  of  Sep- 
tember, the  "  Seps,"  or  those  candidates  who  were 
unable  to  do  so  in  tie  spring  previous,  report.  Be- 
fore the  1st  they  have  been  examined  and  the  de- 
ficient ones  dismissed.  On  the  1st,  unless  that  be 
Sunday,  academic  duties  begin.  The  classes  are 
arranged  into  a  number  of  sections,  according  to 
their  class  rank,  as  determined  at  the  previous  an- 
nual examination,  or  according  to  rank  in  some  partic- 
ular study — for  instance,  for  instruction  in  engineer- 
ing the  first  class  is  arranged  according  to  merit  in 
philosophy,  and  not  according  to  general  merit  or 
class  rank.  The  fourth,  or  "  plebe"  class,  however, 
is  arranged  alphabetically  since  they  as  yet  have  no 
class  rank. 

The  first  class  study,  during  the  first  term,  en- 
gineering, law,  and  ordnance  and  gunnery.  They 
recite  on  civil  engineering  from  8  to  11  a.m.  daily, 
on  ordnance  and  gunnery  from  2  to  4  p.m.,  alternat- 
ing with  law. 


74  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

The  second  class  have  natural  and  experimental 
philosophy  from  8  to  11  a.m.  daily,  and  chemistry, 
alternating  with  riding,  from  11  a.m.  to  1  p.m.  ;  also 
drawing  in  pencil  from  2  to  4  p.m.  For  instruction 
in  this  department  the  class  is  divided  into  two  as 
nearly  equal  parts  as  practicable,  which  alternate  in 
attendance  at  the  Drawing  Academy. 

The  third  class  have  pure  mathematics,  analytical 
geometry,  descriptive  geometry,  and  the  principles 
of  shades,  shadows,  and  perspective,  from  8  to  11 
a.m.  daily.  They  also  have  French  from  11  a.m., 
till  1  p.m.,  alternating  with  Spanish. 

The  entire  class  attend  drawing  daily  till  Novem- 
ber 1st,  when  it  is  divided  into  two  equal  parts  or 
platoons,  which  attend  drawing  and  riding  on  alter- 
nate days.  Riding  !  "  Yearling  riding  !"  I  must 
advert  to  that  before  I  go  further.  First  let  me  de- 
scribe it.  A  platoon  of  yearlings,  twenty,  thirty, 
forty  perhaps  ;  as  many  horses  ;  a  spacious  riding- 
hall,  with  galleries  that  seat  but  too  many  mischiev- 
ous young  ladies,  and  whose  interior  is  well  supplied 
with  tan  bark,  make  up  the  principal  objects  in  the 
play.  Nay,  I  omit  the  most  important  characters, 
the  Instructor  and  the  necessary  number  of  enlisted 

men. 

ACT  I. 

Scene  I. 

Area  of  barracks.  At  guard-house  door  stands  an  orderly,  with 
drum  in  hands.  In  the  area  a  number  of  cadets,  some  in  every-day 
attire,  others  dressed  a  la  cavalier.  These  a  la  cavalier  fellows  are 
going  to  take  their  first  lesson  in  riding.  About  four-fifths  of  them 
were  never  on  a  horse  in  their  lives,  and  hence  what  dire  expecta- 
tions hover  over  their  ordinarily  placid  heads  !  They  have  heard 
from  the  upper  classmen  what  trials  the  novice  experiences  in  his 


THE  COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.      75 

first  efforts,  and  they  do  not  go  to  the  riding-hall  without  some  dread. 
Four  o'clock  and  ten  minutes.     The  drum  is  beaten. 

Officer  of  the  Day. — Form  your  platoon  !  Right, 
face  !     Call  your  roll ! 

Section  Marcher. — Bejay  !  Barnes!  Du  Fining! 
Swikeheimer  !  Du  Flicket,  etc. 

Platoon  (answering  to  their  names). — Here  !  here- 
re-re  !  lio-o-o  !  M-i-i  !  har-ar-ar  !  heer-r  ! 

Section  Marcher  (facing  about  salutes). — All  are 
present,  sir  ! 

Officer  of  the  Bay  (returning  salute). — March  off 
your  platoon,  sir  ! 

Section  Marcher  (facing  about). — Left,  face  !  for- 
ward.    March  !     (Curtain  falls.) 

ACT  II. 

Scene  I. 

The  riding-hall,  a  large,  spacious,  rectangular  structure,  door  on 
each  side  and  at  each  end,  floor  well  covered  with  tan  bark,  spacious 
gallery  over  each  side  door,  staircases  outside  leading  to  them.  Gal- 
leries are  occupied,  one  by  ladies,  and,  perhaps  a  number  of  gentle- 
men, and  the  other  by  enlisted  men  usually.  In  the  centre  of  the 
hall  are  a  number  of  horses,  each  equipped  with  a  surcingle,  blanket, 
and  watering  bridle.  A  soldier  stands  at  the  head  of  each  one  of 
them.  As  curtain  rises  enter  platoon  by  side  door,  and  marches 
around  the  left  flank  of  the  line  of  horses  and  as  far  forward  as  neces- 
sary. 

Section  Marcher.  —  Platoon,  halt !  left,  face  ! 
(Saluting  Instructor)  All  are  present,  sir  ! 

Instructor  (saluting). — The  Section  Marcher  will 
take  his  place  on  the  left. 

He  then  gives  all  necessary  instruction. 

"  To  mount  the  trooper  the  Instructor  first  causes 
him  to  stand  to  horse  by  the  command  '  Stand  to 


76  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

horse!"1  At  this  command — "  Well,  see  "Cavalry 
Tactics." 

We'  ve  got  the  trooper  mounted  now.  After  some 
further  explanation  the  Instructor  forms  them  into  a 
column  of  files  by  the  commands  : 

"  By  file,  by  the  right  (or  left)  flank.     March  !" 

They  are  now  going  around  the  hall  at  a  walk,  a 
slow,  snail-like  pace,  but  what  figures  some  of  them 
present !  Still  all  goes  on  quite  well.  The  In- 
structor is  speaking : 

"To  trot,"  says  he,  "raise  the  hands"  ("year- 
lings" use  both  hands)  "slightly.  This  is  to  apprise 
the  horse  that  you  want  his  attention.  Then  lower 
the  hands  slightly,  and  at  the  same  time  gently  press 
the  horse  with  the  legs  until  he  takes  the  gait  de- 
sired. As  soon  as  he  does,  relax  the  pressure."  A 
long  pause.  The  occupants  of  the  galleries  are  look- 
ing anxiously  on.  They  know  what  is  coming 
next.  They  have  seen  these  drills  over  and  over 
again.  And  so  each  trooper  awaits  anxiously  the 
next  command.     Alas  !  it  comes  !     "  Trot !" 

What  peals  of  laughter  from  that  cruel  gallery  ! 
But  why  %  Ah  !  See  there  that  trooper  struggling 
in  the  tan  bark  while  a  soldier  pursues  his  steed. 
He  is  not  hurt.  He  gets  up,  brushes  away  the  tan 
bark,  remounts  and  starts  off  again.  But  there,  he's 
off  again  !  He's  continually  falling  off  or  jumping 
off  purposely  (V).  What  confusion  !  There  conies 
one  at  a  full  gallop,  sticking  on  as  best  he  can  ;  but 
there,  the  poor  fellow  is  off.  The  horses  are  running 
away.  The  troopers  are  dropping  off  everywhere  in 
the  hall.  No  one  is  hurt.  Alas  !  they  pressed  too 
hard  to  keep  on,  and  instead  of  relaxing  the  pressure 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  77 

at  the  desired  gait,  the  trot,  they  kept  on  pressing, 
the  horse  taking  the  trot,  the  gallop,  the  run,  and 
the  trooper,  alas  !  the  dust.  Again  they  had  the 
reins  too  long,  and  instead  of  holding  on  by  the  flat 
of  the  thighs  with  their  feet  parallel  to  the  horse,  we 
see  them  making  all  sorts  of  angles.  But  that  gal- 
lery !  that  gallery  !  how  I  used  to  wish  it  wasn't 
there  !  The  very  sight  of  a  lady  under  such  cir- 
cumstances is  most  embarrassing. 

Fair  ones,  why  will  you  thus  torture  the  "  year- 
lings" by  your  at  other  times  so  desirable  presence  % 

The  fourth  class  have  pure  mathematics,  and  al- 
gebra, daily  from  8  to  11  a.m.,  and  French  also,  daily, 
from  2  to  4  p.m.  Beginning  on  October  15th,  or  as 
near  that  time  as  practicable,  they  have  fencing,  and 
the  use  of  the  bayonet  and  small-sword. 

During  the  month  of  September  cadets  of  all 
classes,  or  the  battalion,  are  instructed  in  the  in- 
fantry tactics  in  the  "  School  of  the  Battalion." 
Near  the  end  of  the  month  it  is  customary  to  excuse 
the  officers  of  the  first  class  from  these  drills,  and  to 
detail  privates  to  perform  their  duties  for  one  drill 
only  at  a  time.  The  other  classes  are  in  ranks,  or 
the  line  of  file-closers,  according  as  they  are  ser- 
geants, guides,  or  privates. 

During  October  the  several  classes  receive  practi- 
cal instruction  as  follows  :  The  first  class  in  military 
engineering,  the  manner  of  making  and  recording 
the  details  of  a  military  reconnoissance,  and  field 
sketching ;  the  second  class  in  siege  and  sea-coast 
artillery,  and  military  signalling  and  telegraphy. 
The  class  is  divided  into  two  parts,  composed  of  the 
odd  and  even  numbers,  which  attend  drills  on  alter- 
4 


78  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

nate  days — that  is,  artillery  one  day  and  signalling 
the  next ;  the  third  class  in  light  or  field  artillery, 
and  the  theory  and  principles  of  "  target  practice." 
Sometimes  this  latter  is  given  during  camp,  as  is 
most  convenient.  Sometimes,  also,  they  receive  in- 
struction in  ordnance.  This,  however,  is  generally 
deferred  till  they  become  first-classmen. 

For  further  instruction  of  the  first  class  the  fol- 
lowing part  of  the  personnel  of  a  light  battery  is  de- 
tailed from  that  class,  viz.  :  three  chiefs  of  platoon, 
one  chief  of  caissons,  one  guidon,  and  six  chiefs  of 
section.  Each  member  of  the  class  is  detailed  for 
each  of  these  offices  in  his  proper  order. 

The  fourth  class  receives  instruction  in  field  artil- 
lery at  the  ' '  foot  batteries. ' '  This  instruction  is  limit- 
ed to  the  nomenclature  and  manual  of  the  piece.  Here, 
also,  to  assist  the  instructor,  a  chief  of  piece  for  each 
piece  is  detailed.  They  are  required  to  correct  all 
errors  made  by  the  plebes,  and  sometimes  even  to 
drill  them.  Hence  a  knowledge  of  tactics  is  indis- 
pensable, and  the  means  of  fixing  such  knowledge  in 
the  mind  is  afforded. 

Sometimes  also  two  first-classmen  are  required 
to  assist  at  the  siege  or  sea-coast  batteries. 

Every  day  throughout  the  year  a  guard  is 
mounted.  It  consists  of  two  officers  of  the  guard- 
sometimes  only  one — one  sergeant,  three  corporals — 
or  more — and  twenty-four  privates — sometimes,  also, 
eighteen  or  twenty-one  in  camp,  and  twenty-seven  in 
barracks.  Every  day,  also,  there  is  one  officer  of 
the  day  detailed  from  the  first  class. 

The  weather  permitting,  we  have  "  dress  parade" 
daily.     When  unfavorable,  on  account  of  snow,  rain, 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  79 

or  severe  cold,  we  have  "  undress  parade" — that  is, 
parade  without  arms  and  in  undress  or  fatigue  uni- 
form, the  object  being  to  get  us  all  together  to  pub- 
lish the  orders,  etc.,  for  the  morrow.  After  Novem- 
ber 1st  we  usually  have  "  undress  parade,"  and  then 
"supper  mess  parade."  Between  these  two  cere- 
monies the  cadets  amuse  themselves  at  the  gymna- 
sium, dancing  or  skating,  or  "  spooneying,"  or  at 
the  library  ;  generally,  I  think — the  upper  classmen 
at  any  rate — at  the  library.  After  supper  we  have 
recreation  and  then  study.  And  thus  we  "  live  and 
do' '  till  January. 

The  semi-annual  examination  begins  January 
1st,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  practicable.  The  plebes 
are  examined  first,  and  started  in  their  new  studies 
as  soon  as  possible.  After  the  plebes  the  other 
classes  are  examined  in  the  order  of  their  rank — that 
is,  first  class,  second  class,  and  third  class — and  of 
the  importance  of  their  studies,  engineering  being 
first,  then  philosophy,  and  mathematics,  etc. 

The  examination  being  over,  the  deficient  ones, 
after  receiving  orders  from  the  Secretary  of  War, 
are  dismissed.  Studies  are  then  resumed  as  follows  : 
For  the  first  class  military  engineering,  ordnance, 
and  gunnery,  constitutional  law,  military  law,  rules 
of  evidence,  practice  of  courts-martial,  mineralogy, 
and  geology,  strategy,  and  grand  tactics,  and  the 
throwing  and  dismantling  of  pontoon  bridges.  For 
the  second  class,  acoustics  and  optics,  astronomy, 
analytical  mechanics  in  review ;  infantry,  artillery, 
and  cavalry  tactics  ;  drawing,  riding,  and  signalling. 
For  the  third  class,  calculus,  surveying,  geometry, 
and  riding.     Immediately  after  the  examination  the 


80  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

entire  third  class  receive  instruction  in  mechanical 
drawing  before  they  begin  their  other  mathematical 
studies.  For  the  fourth  class  the  studies  are  plane 
geometry,  trigonometry,  descriptive  geometry,  and 
fencing,  including  the  use  of  the  small-sword,  broad- 
sword, and  bayonet. 

Parades,  guard  duty,  etc.,  remain  as  previously 
described  until  about  the  middle  of  March  usually. 
At  that  time  the  ordinary  routine  of  drills,  dress 
parades,  etc.,  is  resumed ;  but  drills  in  this  order, 
viz.,  from  March  15th  to  April  1st  instruction  in  the 
school  of  the  company  ;  in  artillery  tactics,  as  before 
described  during  April ;  and  in  infantry  tactics,  in 
the  "  School  of  the  Battalion,"  during  May.  The 
annual  examination  takes  place  in  June.  The  fol- 
lowing diary,  made  for  the  purpose  of  insertion  here, 
will  best  explain  what  generally  occurs  during  the 
month : 

MEMORANDA. 

Thursday,  June  1,  1876. — Resumed  white  pants 
at  5.10  p.m.  Received  Board  of  Visitors  by  a  review 
at  5.10  p.m.  Examination  begun  at  9  a.m.  First 
class,  engineering.  Salute  of  fifteen  guns  at  meridian 
to  Board  of  Visitors. 

Friday,  June  2.— First  class,  engineering  fin- 
ished. Second  class,  philosophy  commenced.  Siege 
battery  drill  at  5.10  p.m. 

Saturday,  June  3.  — Second  class,  philosophy 
continued. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  81 

Monday,  June  5. — Light  battery  at  5.10  p.m. 
A  yearling  lost  his  "  white  continuations."  Plebes 
went  to  parade. 

Tuesday,  June  6. — Fourth  class,  entire  in  French. 
Examination  written.  Second  class,  philosophy  fin- 
ished. First  class,  mineralogy  and  geology  begun. 
Third  class,  mathematics  begun.  Battalion  drill  at 
5.10  p.m. 

Wednesday,  June  7. — Second  class  turned  out, 
marched  to  sea-coast  battery  at  11  a.m.  Three  de- 
tachments selected.  Rest  marched  back  and  dis- 
missed. Cavalry  drill  at  5.10  p.m.  Six  second- 
classmen  turned  out.     Plebes  put  in  battalion. 

Thursday,  June  8. — Plebes  put  on  guard.  Pon- 
toon bridging,  5.10  p.m. 

Friday,  June  9. — Battalion  skirmish  drill  5.10 
p.m.  Deployed  to  front  at  double  time.  Second, 
fourth,  and  seventh  companies  reserve.  Almost  all 
manoeuvres  at  double  time.  Deployed  by  numbers 
and  charged.  Marched  in  in  line,  band  on  right. 
Broke  into  column  of  companies  to  the  left,  changed 
direction  to  the  right,  obliqued  to  the  left,  moved 
forward  and  formed  "front  into  line,  faced  to  the 
rear."  Arms  inspected,  ammunition  returned.  Dis- 
missed. 

Saturday,  June  10. — Third  class,  mathematics 
finished.  Miss  Philips  sang  to  cadets  in  mess  hall 
after  supper.     First  class,  ordnance  begun. 


82      THE  COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

Sunday,  June  11. — Graduating  sermon  by  Hon. 
,  of  Princeton,  N.  J.,  closing  "  hime,"  "When 


shall  we  meet  again  ?"     Graduating  dinner  at  2  p.m. 

Monday,  June  12. — Detail  from  first  class  to  ride 
in  hall.  Use  of  sabre  and  pistol  on  horseback. 
First  class,  ordnance  finished.     Law  begun. 

Tuesday,  June  13. — First  class  finished.  Board 
divided  into  committees.  Second  class,  chemistry 
begun.  Graduating  parade.  Corps  cheered  by 
graduates  after  parade.  Hop  in  evening ;  also 
German;  whole  continuing  till  3  a.m.  Rumor  has 
it  two  first- classmen,  Slocum  and  Guilfoyle,  are 
"found"  in  ordnance  and  engineering. 

Wednesday,  June  14. — Fourth  class,  mathe- 
matics begun.  Salute  seventeen  guns  at  10  a.m.  in 
honor  of  arrival  at  post  of  General  Sherman  and 
Colonel  Poe  of  his  staff.  Graduating  exercises  from 
11  a.m.  till  near  1  p.m.  Addresses  to  graduates. 
Mortar  practice  and  fireworks  at  night. 

This  ended  the  "  gala"  days  at  West  Point  in  '76. 

Thursday,  June  15. — Usual  routine  of  duties  re- 
sumed. Company  drills  in  the  afternoon  from  5.10 
to  6.10  p.m.  Rather  unusual,  but  we' re  going  to  the 
Centennial.  Rumor  has  it  we  encamp  Saturday  the 
17th  for  ten  days. 

Friday,  June  16. — Dom  Pedro,  emperador  de  la 
Brasil  estaba  recibiado  para  un  "review"  a  las 
cuatro  horas  y  quarenta  y  cinco  minutos.     El  em- 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  S3 

barco  por  la  ciudad  de  £Tueva  York  inmediatemente 
Second  class,  chemistry  finished.  Third  class,  French 
begun. 

Saturday,  June  11. — Third  class,  French  finished. 
Third  class,  Spanish  begun.  "  Camp  rumor"  not 
true. 

Monday,  June  19. — Moved  into  camp,  aligned 
tent  floors  at  5  a.m.  in  the  rain.  Required  by  order 
to  move  in  effects  at  9  a.m.,  and  to  march  in  and 
pitch  tents  at  12  m.  Rained  in  torrents.  Marched 
in,  etc.,  at  9  a.m.  Effects  moved  in  afterwards. 
Rain  ceased  by  12  m.  Marched  in.  Second  class, 
tactics  finished.     Third  class,  Spanish  finished. 

Ordinarily  as  soon  as  the  examination  is  over  the 
third  class  take  advantage  of  the  two  months'  fur- 
lough allowed  them,  while  other  classes  go  into 
camp.  This  encamjmient  begins  June  17th,  or  a  day 
or  two  earlier  or  later,  according  to  circumstances. 
This  brings  me  to  the  end  of  the  first  year.  I  have 
described  camp  life,  and  also,  I  observe,  each  of  the 
remaining  years  of  cadet  life.  On  July  1st  the 
plebes  become  the  fourth  class  ;  the  original  fourth 
the  third  ;  the  third,  now  on  furlough,  the  second  ; 
and  the  second  the  first.  I  have  given  in  an  earlier 
part  of  my  narrative  the  studies,  etc.,  of  these  sev- 
eral classes. 

The  plebe,  or  fourth  class  of  the  previous  year, 
are  now  become  yearlings,  and  are  therefore  in  their 
"  yearling  camp."      At  the  end  of  every  month  an 


84      THE  COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

extract  from  the  class  and  conduct  report  of  each 
cadet  is  sent  to  his  parents  or  guardian  for  their  in- 
formation. I  insert  a  copy  of  one  of  these  monthly 
reports. 


THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  85 

SEttifeir  States  Hftlitarg  ^cab*mg, 

West  Point,  N.  Y.,  March  26,  1875. 

EXTRACT  from  the  Class  and  Conduct  Reports  of  the  MILITARY 
ACADEMY  for  the  month  of  February,  1875,  furnished  for 
the  information  of  Parents  and  Guardians, 

THIRD  CLASS— Composed  of  83  Members. 

Cadet  Henry  0.  Flipper 

Was,  in  Mathematics .No.  48 

"  French No.  48 

"  Spanish, No.  37 

"  Drawing No.  40 

His  demerit  for  the  month  is  2,  and  since  the  commencement  of  the 
academic  half  year,  23. 


Jt.dlC€^^ 


)0i 

Captain  lot/z  Infantry, 

Adjutant  Military  Academy. 

REGULATIONS   FOR  THE  MILITARY  ACADEMY. 

Par.  71. — When  any  Cadet  shall  have  a  total  of  numbers  [of  demerit]  thus 
recorded,  exceeding  one  hundred  in  six  months,  he  shall  be  declared  deficient  in 
discipline. 

Par.  153. — No  Cadet  shall  apply  for,  or  receive  money,  or  any  other  supplies 
from  his  parents,  or  from  any  person  whomsoever,  without  permission  of  the  Superin- 
tendent. 

Note. — The  attention  of  Parents  and  Guardians  is  invited  to  the  foregoing  Regu- 
lations. The  permission  referred  to  in  paragraph  153  must  be  obtained  before  the 
shipment  to  the  Cadet  of  the  supplies  desired. 


86 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 


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*  Transferred  back  from  6th  to  5th  section,  November  11th. 

t  Review. 

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309,  315,  356,  Case  II.,  p.  26,  Stereotomy,  and  also  pp.  35,  36,  37,  38,  and  Fig.  of  Prob.  11. 
*  These  Nos.  5,  8,  9,  and  12  are  numbers  of  problems  in  stone-cutting,  and  not  articles. 
+  Eeview. 
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*  Mechanical  drawing. 

t  General  review,  beginning  with  stone-cutting. 

%  In  civil  engineering. 

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Rem  akks.— Text-book  used,  Woolsey's  "International  Law." 
Omissions  :  Sections  1,  2,  4,  6,  9,  10,  11, 12,  13,  14,  15,  16.  31,  34, 
35  and  their  foot-notes,  44,  46  to  Congress  of  Verona  ;  55  from 
middle  page  83,  and  foot-notes  on  pp.  90 and  95  ;  63,  "rules,  etc.,  ' 
rm  105  106,  foot-notes  on  pp.  130,  136;  sec.  86,  89  de  3d  line  to  9th, 
v  143  de  3d  line  p.  158  to  sec.  93,  and  93  de  23d  line  to  sec.  94, 
foot-notes  pp.  145, 146,  148.  150,  151,  152, 155,  156  ;  sec.  95  de  mid. 
p  166;  sec.  100  de  mid.  p.  175  ;  105  de  4th  line,  p.  180  to  Till  line  p. 
181,  and  from  top  p.  182  to  sec.  106,  foot-notes  pp.  165, 183  ; sec. 
114  de  too  P.  194,  except  last  sentence  ;  115de  11th  line  p.  196  to 
4th  p   198of  118,  first.  2?  lines  p.  203.    De  25th  line  p  208  to  6th  p. 
209.  tie  18th  p.  209  to  15th  p.  210  ;  sec.  223,  first  three  lines  sec.  223, 
de  6th  to  21st  line  p.  221  ;  last  ten  lines  p.  815  ;  first  eleven  p.  21b, 
10  o  218  15  p.  219,  p.  235;  sec. 139,  first  eleven  lines  p.  230,  foot-notes 
202,'204,  209;  210,  211,  213,  215,225,  234,  344,  245. 

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lines;  omit  sees.  172, 173,  and  of  174  to  "First  Armed  Neutrality," 
p.  289,  and  foot-notes  pp.  284,  285,  286 ;  sec.  176  from  5th  line  from 
bottom  p.  294 ;  of  179  from  5th  line  p.  801 ;  181  from  5th  line 
from  bottom  p.  303  to  9th  p.  305,  and  from  7th  to  27th  line  p.  310. 

*  Lesson  extends  from  sec.  200  to  Appendix  p.  357,  including 
"c,"  p.  434,  Appendix  II.,  first  two  thirds  of  page  ;  notes  12,  13, 
17,  20,  and  21  Appendix  III.,  omitting  sees.  197, 198,  199,  206,  209. 

t  Review.    Omissions  same  as  on  advance. 

X  Was  absent  from  recitation,  being  officer  of  the  day. 

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notes,  etc.,  as  given  in  lesson  for  October  12th,  q.  v. 

t  That  is,  to  sec.  2,  art.  II.  of  the  U.  S.  Constitution.    The 
two  lessons  before  this  one  were  in  "  Instructions  lor  the  govern- 
ment of  armies,"  being  general  order  100  from  A.  G.  0.,  April 
24th,  1863. 

Of  Constitution,  omit  par.  3,  sec.  1,  art.  II.    Omit  sec.  35  of 
text,  and  from  sec.  151  to  sec.  106  inclusive,  and  sec.  250.    Text 
book  used,  Pomeroy's  "  Constitutional  Law." 

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*  The  sections  from  188  to  226  inclusive  were  omitted  in 
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Kemarks.—*  This  lesson  includes  section  1,  6,  7,  8,  9,  and 
+  This  lesson  is  taken  from  a  printed  pamphlet  furnished 
the  Ordnance  Department,  U.  S.  M.  A.    Omit  chapter  1,  par 
except  articles  above  given,  and  "  Oblong  Bullet,"  p.  77  ;  arts 
51,  54,  55  ;  64,  65,  66,  67,  68,  69  ;  pp.  122,  123,  124,  to  "  Windag 
Also  latter  half  of  p.  125  and  first  half  p.  126;  arts.  139,  140. 
Text  book  used,  "  Benton's  Ordnance  and  Gunnery." 

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Exterior  form  of  cannon,  and  pressure  of 
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Remarks. — *  Review.    This  lesson  includes  pamphlet. 

Omissions  same  as  on  advance,  and  arts.  155, 150,  to  "  In  ISC 
p.  192,  art.  189,  "Lance,"  pp.  279,  280,  arts.  239-52,  inclusive, 
259. 

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Remarks.—*  This  lesson  extends  from  art.  144,  p.  180,  to 
164,  p.  200. 

t  This  one  from  264,  p.  290,  and  from  340,  p.  342,  to  346,  p.  i 
and  pamphlet  oa  metallic  cartridges. 

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EEMAEKS.-Omit  arts.  349,  350,  351,  332,  353,  354,  335,  377, 
last  half  of  382,  3S3,  384,  335,  380,  387,  338,  393,  394,  395,  390. 

t  General  review.    This  lesson  commences  at  art.  39,  p. 
omits  arts.  75  to  79,  inclusive. 

t  In  addition  this  lesson  includes  from  beginning  of  tex 
art.  39,  p.  71. 

*  This  lesson  included  a  pamphlet  furnished  by  the  Ordna 
Department. 

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CHAPTEE    VII. 

YEARLING    CAMP. 

XIST  this  chapter  I  shall  describe  only  those  phases 
-*-  of  cadet  life  which  are  experienced  by  "year- 
lings1' in  their  "  yearling  camp." 

Beginning  July  5th,  or  as  soon  after  as  practica- 
ble, the  third  class  receive  practical  instruction  in  the 
nomenclature  and  manual  of  the  field-piece.  This 
drill  continues  till  August  1st,  when  they  begin  the 
' '  School  of  the  Battery. ' ' 

The  class  attend  dancing  daily.  Attendance  at 
dancing  is  optional  with  that  part  of  the  third  class 
called  "  yearlings,"  and  compulsory  for  the  "  Seps," 
who  of  course  do  not  become  yearlings  till  the  fol- 
lowing September.  The  third  class  also  receive  in- 
struction in  the  duties  of  a  military  laboratory,  and 
"  target  practice."  These  instructions  are  not 
always  given  during  camp.  They  may  be  given  in 
the  autumn  or  spring. 

Another  delight  of  the  yearling  is  to  "bone 
colors."  Immediately  in  front  of  camp  proper  is  a 
narrow  path  extending  entirely  across  the  ground, 
and  known  as  the  "  color  line."  On  the  1st  of 
August  —  sometimes  before  —  the  "color  line"  is 
established,  this  name  being  applied  also  to  the  pur- 
pose of  the  color  line.  This  ceremony  consists  in 
stacking  arms  just  in  rear  of  the  color  line,  and  plac- 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  '  103 

ing  the  colors  on  the  two  stacks  nearest  the  centre  of 
the  line. 

From  the  privates  of  the  guard  three  are  chosen 
to  guard  the  stacks  and  to  require  every  one  who 
crosses  the  color  line  or  passes  within  fifteen  paces 
of  the  colors  to  salute  them.  These  three  sentinels 
are  known  as  "the  colors,"  or  "color  men,"  and 
are  numbered  "first,"  "second,"  and  "third." 

Those  are  chosen  who  are  neatest  and  most  soldier- 
like in  their  appearance.  Cadets  prepare  themselves 
specially  for  this,  and  they  toss  up  their  guns  to 
the  adjutant  at  guard-mounting.  This  signifies  that 
they  intend  competing  for  "colors."  The  adjutant 
falls  them  out  after  the  guard  has  marched  to  its 
post,  and  inspects  them.  Absolute  cleanliness  is 
necessary.  Any  spot  of  dirt,  dust,  or  any  thing  un- 
clean will  often  defeat  one.  Yearlings  "  bone"  their 
guns  and  accoutrements  for  "colors,"  and  some- 
times get  them  every  time  they  toss  up. 

A  "  color  man"  must  use  only  those  equipments 
issued  to  him.  He  cannot  borrow  those  of  a  man 
who  has  "  boned  them  up"  and  expect  to  get  colors. 
Sometimes— but  rarely — plebes  compete  and  win. 

The  inducement  for  this  extra  labor  is  simply 
this  :  Instead  of  being  on  duty  twenty-four  hours, 
color  men  are  relieved  from  4  p.m.  till  8  a.m.  the 
next  day,  when  they  march  off.  They  of  course  en- 
joy all  other  privileges  given  the  "  Old  Guard." 

"  Sentinels  for  the  Color  Line. — The  senti- 
nels for  the  color  line  will  be  permitted  to  go 
to  their  tents  from  the  time  the  stacks  are  broken 
till  8  a.m.  the  following  morning,  when  they  will 
rejoin    the    guard.     They  will    be    excused    from 


104:  THE   COLORED    CADET   AT   WEST   POINT. 

marching  to  meals,  but  will  report  to  the  officer 
of  the  guard  at  the  roll-call  for  each  meal,  and  also 
at  tattoo  and  reveille." — (From  Resume  of  Existing 
Orders,  U.  S.  C.  C.) 

It  is  the  yearling  who  does  most  of  the  hazing. 
Just  emerged,  from  his  chrysalis  state,  having  the 
year  before  received  similar  treatment  at  the  hands  of 
other  yearlings,  he  retaliates,  so  to  speak,  upon  the 
now  plebe,  and  finds  in  such  retaliation  his  share  of 
enjoyment. 

The  practice,  however,  is  losing  ground.  The 
cadets  are  more  generous,  and,  with  few  exceptions, 
never  interfere  with  a  plebe.  This  is  certainly  an 
advance  in  the  right  direction  ;  for  although  hazing 
does  comprise  some  good,  it  is,  notwithstanding,  a 
low  practice,  one  which  manliness  alone  should  con- 
demn. None  need  information  and  assistance  more 
than  plebes,  and  it  is  unkind  to  refuse  it ;  nay,  it  is 
even  not  humane  to  refuse  it  and  also  to  haze  the 
asker.  Such  conduct,  more  than  any  thing  else,  dis- 
courages and  disheartens  him.  It  takes  from  him 
all  desire  to  do  and  earn,  to  study  or  strive  for  suc- 
cess. At  best  it  can  be  defended  only  as  being 
effective  where  regulations  are  not,  viz.,  in  the  cases 
of  rough  specimens  who  now  not  infrequently  man- 
age to  win  their  appointments. 

Formerly  in  yearling  camp  the  corporals  were 
all  "  acting  sergeants."  They  were  so  acting  in  the 
absence  of  the  cle  facto  sergeants.  These  corporals 
got  the  idea  into  their  heads  that  to  retain  their  ap- 
pointments they  had  to  do  a  certain  amount  of 
"skinning,"  and  often  "skins"  were  more  fancied 
than  real.     This  was  a  rather  sad  condition  of  affairs. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  1C5 

Plebes  would  find  their  demerits  accumulating  and 
become  disheartened.  It  was  all  due  to  this  unneces- 
sary rigor,  and  "  being  military,"  which  some  of  the 
yearling  corporals  affected.  No  one  bears,  or  rather 
did  bear,  such  a  reputation  as  the  yearling  corporal. 
As  such  he  was  disliked  by  everybody,  and  plebes 
have  frequently  fought  them  for  their  unmanly 
treatment.  This,  however,  was.  It  is  no  more.  We 
have  no  yearling  corporals,  and  plebes  fare  better 
generally  than  ever  before.  Not  because  all  year- 
ling corporals  thus  subserved  their  ambition  by  re- 
porting men  for  little  things  that  might  as  well  have 
been  overlooked,  did  they  get  this  bad  reputation,  but 
rather  because  with  it  they  coupled  the  severest  haz- 
ing, and  sometimes  even  insults.  That  was  unmanly 
as  well  as  mean.  Hazing  could  be  endured,  but  not 
always  insults. 

Whether  for  this  reason  or  not  I  cannot  say,  the 
authorities  now  appoint  the  corporals  from  the  sec- 
ond class,  men  who  are  more  dignified  and  courteous 
in  their  conduct  toward  all,  and  especially  toward 
plebes.     The  advantages  of  this  system  are  evident. 

One  scarcely  appreciates  cadet  life — if  such  ap- 
preciation is  possible — till  he  becomes  a  yearling.  It 
is  not  till  in  yearling  camp  that  a  cadet  begins  to 
"spoon."  Not  till  then  is  he  permitted  to  attend 
the  hops,  and  of  course  he  has  but  little  opportunity 
to  cultivate  female  society,  nor  is  he  expected  to  do 
so  till  then,  for  to  assume  any  familiarity  with  the 
upper  classes  would  be  considered  rather  in  advance 
of  his  "  plebeship'  s"  rights.  How  then  can  he — he 
is  little  more  than  a  stranger — become  acquainted 
with  the  fair  ones  who  either  dwell  at  or  are  visiting 


106  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

West  Point.  Indeed,  knowing  "femmes"  are  quite 
as  prone  to  haze  as  the  cadets,  and  most  unmercifully 
cut  the  unfortunate  plebe.  Some  are  also  so  very 
haughty  :  they  will  admit  only  tlrst-classmen  to  their 
acquaintance  and  favor. 

But  Mr.  Plebe,  having  become  a  yearling  finds 
that  the  "  Mr."  is  dropped,  and  that  he  is  allowed 
all  necessary  familiarity.  He  then  begins  to  enjoy 
his  cadetship,  a  position  which  for  pleasure  and  hap- 
piness has  untold  advantages,  for  what  woman  can 
resist  those  glorious  buttons  %  A  yearling  has 
another  advantage.  The  furlough  class  is  absent, 
and  the  plebes — well,  they  are  ' '  plebes. ' '  Sufficient, 
isn't  it  ?  The  spooneying  must  all  be  done,  then,  by 
the  first  and  third  classes.  Often  a  great  number  of 
the  first  class  are  bachelors,  or  not  inclined  to  be 
spooney  ;  and  that  duty  then  of  course  devolves  on 
the  more  gallant  part  of  that  class  and  the  yearlings. 

The  hop  managers  of  the  third  class  have  been 
mentioned  elsewhere.  They  enjoy  peculiar  facilities 
for  pleasure,  and,  where  a  good  selection  has  been 
made,  do  much  to  dispel  the  monotony  of  academic 
military  life.  Indeed,  they  do  very  much  toward 
inducing  others  to  cultivate  a  high  sense  of  gallantry 
and  respect  for  women.  The  refining  influence  of 
female  society  has  greater  play,  and  its  good  results 
are  inevitable. 

But  what  a  wretched  existence  was  mine  when  all 
this  was  denied  me  !  One  would  be  unwilling  to  be- 
lieve I  had  not,  from  October,  1875,  till  May,  1876, 
spoken  to  a  female  of  any  age,  and  yet  it  was  so. 
There  was  no  society  for  me  to  enjoy— no  friends, 
male  or  female,  for  me  to  visit,  or  with  whom  I  could 


THE   COLOBED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  107 

have  any  social  intercourse,  so  absolute  was  my  iso- 
lation.* Indeed,  I  had  friends  who  often  visited  me, 
but  they  did  so  only  when  the  weather  was  favorable. 
In  the  winter  season,  when  nature,  usually  so  at- 
tractive, presented  nothing  to  amuse  or  dispel  one's 
gloom,  and  when,  therefore,  something  or  some  one 
suited  for  that  purpose  was  so  desirable,  no  one  of 
course  visited  me.  But  I  will  not  murmur.  I  sup- 
pose this  was  but  another  constituent  of  that  mechan- 
ical mixture  of  ills  and  anxieties  and  suspense  that 
characterized  my  cadet  life.  At  any  rate  I  can  con- 
sole myself  in  my  victory  over  prejudice,  whether 
that  victory  be  admitted  or  not.  I  know  I  have  so 
lived  that  they  could  find  in  me  no  fault  different 
from  those  at  least  common  to  themselves,  and  have 
thus  forced  upon  their  consciences  a  just  and  merited 
recognition  whether  or  not  they  are  disposed  to  fol- 
low conscience  and  openly  accept  my  claim  to  their 
brotherly  love. 

*  I  could  and  did  have  a  pleasant  chat  every  day,  more  or  less, 
with  "  Bentz  the  bugler,"  the  tailor,  barber,  commissary  clerk,  the 
policeman  who  scrubbed  out  my  room  and  brought  around  the  mail, 
the  treasurer's  clerk,  cadets  occasionally,  and  others.  The  statement 
made  in  some  of  the  newspapers,  that  from  one  year's  end  to  another 
I  never  heard  the  sound  of  my  own  voice,  except  in  the  recitation 
room,  is  thus  seen  to  be  untrue. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FIEST-CLASS     CAMP. 

TT  is  a  common  saying  among  cadets  that  ' '  first- 
--*-  class  camp  is  just  like  furlough."  I  rather  think 
the  assertion  is  an  inheritance  from  former  days  and 
the  cadets  of  those  days,  for  the  similarity  at  present 
between  first-class  camp  and  furlough  is  beyond  our 
conception.  There  is  none,  or  if  any  it  is  chimerical, 
depending  entirely  on  circumstances.  In  the  case  of 
a  small  class  it  would  be  greater  than  in  that  of  a 
large  one.  For  instance,  in  "train  drill"  a  certain 
number  of  men  are  required.  No  more  are  necessary. 
It  would  be  inexpedient  to  employ  a  whole  class 
when  the  class  had  more  men  in  it  than  were  required 
for  the  drill.  In  such  cases  the  supernumeraries  are 
instructed  in  Something  else,  and  alternate  with 
those  who  attend  train  drill.  In  the  case  of  a  small 
class  all  attend  the  same  drill  daily,  and  that  other 
duty  or  drill  is  reserved  for  autumn.  Thus  there  is 
less  drill  in  camp,  and  it  becomes  more  like  furlough 
when  there  is  none  at  all. 

Again,  first-classmen  enjoy  more  privileges  than 
others,  and  for  this  reason  their  camp  is  more  like 
furlough.  If,  however,  there  are  numerous  drills, 
the  analogy  will  fail ;  for  how  can  duty,  drills,  etc., 
coexist  with  privileges  such  as  first-class  privileges  ? 


THE   COLOEED    CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  109 

Time  which  otherwise  would  be  devoted  to  enjoy- 
ment of  privileges  is  now  consumed  in  drills.     Still 
there  is  much  in  it  which  makes  first-class  camp  the 
most  delightful  part  of  a  cadet's  life.      There  are 
more  privileges,    the  duties   are  lighter  and  more 
attractive,    and    make    it    withal  more  enjoyable. 
First,   members  of  the  class  attend  drill  both  as 
assistants  and  as  students.     They  are  detailed   as 
chiefs  of  platoon,  chiefs  of  section,  chiefs  of  caissons, 
and  as  guidons  at  the  light  battery ;  as  chiefs  of 
pieces  at  the  several  foot  batteries  ;  attend  themselves 
at  the  siege  or  sea-coast  batteries,  train  drill,  pontoon 
drill,    engineering,  ordnance,  and   astronomy,    and 
they  are  also  detailed  as  officers  of  the  guard.     These 
duties  are  generally  not  very  difficult  nor  unpleasant 
to  discharge.     Second,  from  the  nature  of  the  priv- 
ileges allowed  first-classmen,  they  have  more  oppor- 
tunity for  pleasure  than  other  cadets,  and  therefore 
avoid   the    rather    serious    consequences    of    their 
monotonous    academic    military    life.      A   solitary 
monotonous  life  is  rather  apt  to  engender  a  dislike 
for  mankind,  and  no  high  sense  of  honor  or  respect 
for  women.     I  deem  these  privileges  of  especial  im- 
portance, as  they  enable  one  to  avoid  that  danger 
and  to  cultivate  the  highest   possible    regard  for 
women,  and  those  virtues  and  other  Christian  attri- 
butes of  which  they  are  the  better  exponents.     A 
soldier  is  particularly  liable  to  fall  into  this  sans- 
souci  way  of  looking  at  life,  and  those  to  whom  its 
pleasures,  as  well  as  its  ills,  are  largely  due.     We 
are  indebted  to  our  fellows  for  every  thing  which 
affects  our  life  as  regards  its  happiness  or  unhappi- 


110  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

ness,  and  this  latter  misfortune  will  rarely  be  ours 
if  we  properly  appreciate  our  friends  and  those  who 
can  and  will  make  life  less  wretched.  To  shut  one' s 
self  up  in  one's  self  is  merely  to  trust,  or  rather  to 
set  up,  one's  own  judgment  as  superior  to  the 
world's.  That  cannot  be,  nor  can  there  be  happi- 
ness in  such  false  views  of  our  organization  as  being 
of  and  for  each  other. 

At  this  point  of  the  course  many  of  the  first-class 
have  attained  their  majority.  They  are  men,  and  in 
one  year  more  will  be  officers  of  the  army.  It  be- 
comes them,  therefore,  to  lay  aside  the  ordinary 
student's  role,  and  assume  a  more  dignified  one,  one 
more  in  conformity  with  their  age  and  position. 
They  leave  all  cadet  roles,  etc.,  to  the  younger 
classes,  and  put  on  the  proper  dignity  of  men. 

There  are  for  them  more  privileges.  They  are 
more  independent  —  more  like  men  ;  and  conse- 
quently they  find  another  kind  of  enjoyment  in  camp 
than  that  of  the  cadet.  It  is  a  general,  a  proper,  a 
rational  sort  of  pleasure  such  as  one  would  enjoy  at 
home  among  relatives  or  friends,  and  hence  the  simi- 
larity between  first-class  camp  and  furlough. 

But  it  is  not  thus  with  all  first-classmen.  Many, 
indeed  the  majority,  are  cadets  till  they  graduate. 
They  see  every  thing  as  a  cadet,  enjoy  every  thing  as 
a  cadet,  and  find  the  duties,  etc.,  of  first-class  camp 
as  irksome  as  those  of  plebe  or  yearling  camp.  Of 
course  such  men  see  no  similarity  between  first-class 
camp  and  furlough.  It  is  their  misfortune.  We 
should  enjoy  as  many  things  as  we  can,  and  not  sor- 
row over  them.  We  should  not  make  our  life  one  of 
sorrow  when  it  could  as  well  be  one  of  comfort  and 


THE   C0L0KED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  Ill 

pleasure.  I  don't  mean  comfort  and  "pleasure  in  an 
epicurean  sense,  but  in  a  moral  one.  Still  first-class- 
men do  have  many  duties  to  perform,  but  there  is 
withal  one  consolation  at  least,  there  are  no  upper 
classmen  to  keep  the  plebe  or  yearling  in  his  place. 
There  is  no  feeling  of  humbleness  because  of  junior 
rank,  for  the  first  class  is  the  first  in  rank,  and  there- 
fore need  humble  itself  to  none  other  than  the  proper 
authorities. 

Again,  their  honor,  as  "cadets  and  gentlemen," 
is  relied  upon  as  surety  for  obedience  and  regard  for 
regulations.  They  are  not  subject  to  constant  watch- 
ing as  plebes  are.  The  rigor  of  discipline  is  not  so 
severe  upon  them  as  upon  others.  It  was  expended 
upon  them  during  their  earlier  years  at  the  Academy, 
and,  as  a  natural  consequence,  any  violation  of 
regulations,  etc.,  by  a  first-classman,  merits  and  re- 
ceives a  severer  punishment  than  would  be  visited 
upon  a  junior  classman  for  a  !like  infringement  on 
his  part. 

The  duties  of  first-classmen  in  first-class  camp  are 
as  follows  :  The  officer  of  the  day  and  two  officers 
of  the  guard  are  detailed  each  day  from  the  class. 
Their  duties  are  precisely  those  of  similar  officers  in 
the  regular  army.  The  junior  officer  of  the  guard 
daily  reports  to  the  observatory  to  find  the  error  of 
the  tower  clock.  Also  each  day  are  detailed  the 
necessary  assistants  for  the  several  light  batteries, 
who  are  on  foot  or  mounted,  as  the  case  may  require. 
The  remainder  of  the  class  receive  instructions  in 
the  service  of  the  siege  and  sea-coast  artillery. 
These  drills  come  in  the  early  forenoon.  After 
them  come  ordnance  and  engineering. 


112  THE   COLORED   CADET   AT  WEST   POINT. 

The  entire  class  is  divided  as  equally  as  may  be 
into  two  parts,  which,  alternate  in  attendance  at 
ordnance  and  engineering. 

In  ordnance  the  instructions  are  on  the  prepara- 
tion of  military  fireworks,  fixing  of  ammunition  and 
packing  it,  the  battery  wagon  and  forge.  This  in- 
struction is  thoroughly  practical.  The  cadets  make 
the  cases  for  rockets,  paper  shells,  etc.,  and  fill 
them,  leaving  them  ready  for  immediate  use.  The 
stands  of  fixed  ammunition  prepared  are  the  grape 
and  canister,  and  shell  and  shot,  with  their  sabots. 

The  battery  wagon  and  forge  are  packed  as  pre- 
scribed in  the  "  Ordnance  Manual." 

The  instructions  in  engineering  are  also  practical 
and  military.  They  are  in  the  modes  of  throwing 
and  dismantling  pontoon  bridges,  construction  of 
fascines,  gabions,  hurdles,  etc.,  and  revetting  bat- 
teries with  them.  Sometimes  also  during  camp, 
more  often  after,  foot  reconnoissances  are  made.  A 
morning  and  night  detail  is  made  daily  from  the 
class  to  receive  practical  instruction  in  astronomy  in 
the  field  observatory. 

Night  signalling  with  torches,  and  telegraphy  by 
day,  form  other  sources  of  instruction  for  the  first 
class. 

Telegraphy,  or  train  drill,  as  the  drill  is  called, 
consists  in  erecting  the  telegraph  line  and  opening 
communication  between  two  stations,  and  when  this 
is  done,  in  communicating  so  as  to  acquire  a  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  the  instruments  and  their  use. 

These  various  drills — all  of  them  occurring  daily, 
Sunday  of  course  excepted,  and  for  part  of  them 
Saturday  also — complete  the  course  of  instruction 


THE   C0L0KED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  113 

given  the  first  class  only  during  their  first -class 
camp.  It  will  be  observed  that  they  all  of  them 
are  of  a  military  nature  and  of  the  greatest  import- 
ance.    The  instruction  is  thorough  accordingly. 

I  have  sufficiently  described,  I  think,  a  cadet's 
first-class  camp.  I  shall,  therefore,  close  the  chap- 
ter here. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

OUR  FUTURE  HEROES. 

THE  WEST  POINT   CADETS'   VACATION. 

Ten  Days  of  Centennial  Sport  for  Prospective  Warriors — Tlie  Miser- 
ies of  three  hundred  Young  Gentlemen  who  are  limited  to  Ten 
Pairs  of  White  Trousers  each. 

"  Almost  at  the  foot  of  George's  Hill,  and  not  far  to  the  westward 
of  Machinery  Hall,  is  the  camp  of  the  West  Point  cadets.  From 
morning  till  night  the  domestic  economy  of  the  three  hundred  young 
gentlemen  who  compose  the  corps  is  closely  watched,  and  their  guard 
mountings  and  dress  parades  attract  throngs  of  spectators.  It  would 
be  hard  to  find  anywhere  a  borly  of  young  men  so  manly  in  appear- 
ance, so  perfect  in  discipline,  and  so  soldier-like  and  intelligent.  The 
system  of  competitive  examination  for  admission,  so  largely  adopted 
within  the  past  few  years  in  many  of  our  large  cities,  has  resulted  in 
recruiting  the  corps  with  lads  of  bright  intellect  and  more  than  ordi- 
nary attainments,  while  the  strict  physical  examination  has  rigorously 
excluded  all  but  those  of  good  form  and  perfect  health.  The  com- 
petitive system  has  also  given  to  the  Academy  students  who  want  to 
learn,  instead  of  lads  who  are  content  to  scramble  through  the  pre- 
scribed course  as  best  they  can,  escaping  the  disgrace  of  being 
"  found"  (a  cadet  term  equivalent  to  the  old  college  word  "  plucked") 
by  nearly  a  hair's-breadth. 

"  The  camp. — The  camp  is  laid  out  in  regulation  style,  and  has  four 
company  streets.  Near  the  western  limit  of  the  Centennial  grounds 
are  the  tents  of  the  commandant  and  the  cadet  captains  and  lieuten- 
ants. Below,  on  a  gentle  incline,  are  the  wall  tents,  occupied  by  the 
cadets.  Each  of  these  has  a  board  floor,  and  it  is  so  arranged  that 
when  desired  it  may  be  thrown  open  on  all  sides.  From  two  to  four 
narrow  iron  cots,  a  bucket  for  water,  an  occasional  chair,  and  now 
and  then  a  mirror,  comprise  the  furniture.  But  scanty  as  it  is,  every 
article  of  this  little  outfit  has  a  place,  and  must  be  kept  in  it,  or  woe 
to  the  unlucky  wight  upon  whom  the  duty  of  housekeeping  devolves 
for  the  day.     The  bucket  must  stand  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  115 

tent,  in  front  ;  the  beds  must  be  made  at  a  certain  hour  and  in  a  cer- 
tain style — for  the  coming  heroes  of  America  have  to  be  their  own 
chambermaids ;  while  valises  and  other  baggage  must  be  stowed 
away  in  as  orderly  a  way  as  possible.  Every  morning  the  tents  are 
inspected,  and  any  lack  of  neatness  or  order  insures  for  the  chamber- 
maid of  the  day  a  misconduct  mark.  It  may  be  easily  conceived  that 
under  a  regime  so  strict  as  this  the  cadets  are  particularly  careful  as 
to  their  quarters,  inasmuch  as  one  hundred  of  these  marks  mean  dis- 
missal from  the  Academy. 

"At  daybreak  the  reveille  sounds,  and  the  cadets  turn  out  for  roll- 
call.  Then  come  breakfast,  guard  mounting,  and  camp  and  general 
police  duty,  which  consume  the  time  until  8.30  a.m.,  from  which 
hour  those  who  are  not  on  guard  have  the  freedom  of  the  Centennial 
grounds.  At  o  p.m.  they  must  fall  in  for  dress  parade  ;  at  9  they 
answer  to  '  tattoo  '  roll-call,  and  a  few  minutes  later  '  taps '  or 
'  lights  out '  consigns  them  to  darkness  and  quiet. 

"  West  Point  Aristocracy. — Small  as  is  this  corps,  it  is  still  patent 
that  the  distinction  of  caste  is  very  strong.  A  first  classman — cadet 
officers  are  selected  from  this  class — looks  down  upon  lower  grade 
men,  while  second-class  cadets  view  their  juniors  with  something 
nearly  allied  to  contempt,  and  third-class  men  are  amusingly  patron- 
izing in  their  treatment  of  '  plebes '  or  new-comers.  For  the  first 
year  of  their  Academy  life  the  '  plebes  '  have  rather  a  hard  time  of  it ; 
but  no  sooner  do  they  emerge  from  their  chrysalis  state  than  they 
are  as  hard  upon  their  unfortunate  successors  as  the  third-class  men 
of  the  year  before  were  upon  them. 

"  The  cadets  are  delighted  with  their  reception  and  kind  treatment 
in  Philadelphia,  and  look  upon  their  ten  days'  visit  to  the  Centennial 
as  a  most  pleasant  break  in  the  monotony  of  Academy  life.  That 
they  maintain  the  reputation  of  the  Acarlemy  for  gallantry  and  devo- 
tion to  the  fair  sex  is  evidenced  by  the  presence  of  numbers  of  beau- 
tiful young  ladies  in  their  camp  after  dress  parade  every  evening. 
Given,  a  pretty  girl,  the  twilight  of  a  summer  evening,  and  a  youth 
in  uniform,  and  the  result  is  easily  guessed. 

"  The  Cadet  Corps  is  to  return  to  West  Point  to-morrow  morning. 
There  the  cadets  are  to  go  into  camp  until  September.  General 
Sherman  at  one  time  purposed  to  have  them  march  from  this  city  to 
the  Academy,  bu$  it  was  finally  decided  that  the  march  would  con- 
sume time  which  might  be  more  profitably  devoted  to  drill. 

"  One  of  the  complaints  of  the  cadets  is  that  in  the  arrangements 
for  their  visit,  the  Quartermaster's  Department  was  stricken  with  a 


116  THE   COLOEED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT. 

spasm  of  economy  as  regarded  transportation,  and  each  of  the  future 
heroes  was  limited  to  the  miserably  insufficient  allowance  of  ten  pairs 
of  white  trousers. 

"  The  cadets  speak  in  warmly  eulogistic  terms  of  the  Seventh  New 
York,  to  whose  kindly  attentions,  they  say,  much  of  their  pleasure  is 
due. ' ' 

Of  this  article,  which  was  taken  from  the  Phil- 
adelphia Times,  I  need  only  say,  those  "  two  or 
four  narrow  iron  cots"  and  that  "  occasional  chair" 
existed  solely  in  the  imagination  of  the  reporter,  as 
they  were  nowhere  visible  within  the  limits  of  onr 
encampment. 


CHAPTER  X. 


TEEATMEISTT. 


' '  A  brave  and  honorable  and  courteous  man 
"Will  not  insult  me  ;  and  none  other  can." — Cowfer. 

^  THTOW  do  they  treat  you?"  "How  do  you 
JLJL  get  along  ?"  and  multitudes  of  analogous 
questions  have  been  asked  me  over  and  over  again. 
Many  have  asked  them  for  mere  curiosity's  sake, 
and  to  all  such  my  answers  have  been  as  short  and 
abrupt  as  was  consistent  with  common  politeness. 
I  have  observed  that  it  is  this  class  of  people  who 
start  rumors,  sometimes  harmless,  but  more  often 
the  cause  of  needless  trouble  and  ill-feeling.  I  have 
considered  such  a  class  dangerous,  and  have  there- 
fore avoided  them  as  much  as  it  was  possible.  I 
will  mention  a  single  instance  where  such  danger 
has  been  made  manifest. 

A  Democratic  newspaper,  published  I  know  not 
where,  in  summing  up  the  faults  of  the  Republican 
party,  took  occasion  to  advert  to  West  Point.  It 
asserted  in  bold  characters  that  I  had  stolen  a  num- 
ber of  articles  from  two  cadets,  had  by  them  been 
detected  in  the  very  act,  had  been  seen  by  several 
other  cadets  who  had  been  summoned  for  the  pur- 
pose that  they  might  testify  against  me,  had  been 


118     THE  COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

reported  to  the  proper  authorities,  the  affair  had 
been  thoroughly  investigated  by  them,  my  guilt 
established  beyond  the  possibility  of  doubt,  and  yet 
my  accusers  had  actually  been  dismissed  while  I 
was  retained.*  This  is  cited  as  an  example  of  Repub- 
lican rule  ;  and  the  writer  had  the  effrontery  to 
ask,  "  How  long  shall  such  things  be?"  I  did  not 
reply  to  it  then,  nor  do  I  intend  to  do  so  now.  Such 
assertions  from  such  sources  need  no  replies.  I 
merely  mention  the  incident  to  show  how  wholly 
given  to  party  prejudices  some  men  can  be.  They 
seem  to  have  no  thought  of  right  and  justice,  but 
favor  whatever  promotes  the  aims  and  interests  of 
their  own  party,  a  party  not  Democratic  but  hellish. 
How  different  is  the  following  article  from  the  Phil- 
adelphia North  American,  of  July  7th,  1876  : 

"  It  is  very  little  to  the  credit  of  the  West  Point  cadets,  a  body  of 
young  men  in  whose  superior  discipline  and  thoroughly  excellent 
deportment  we  feel  in  common  with  nearly  all  others  a  gratified 
pride,  that  they  should  be  so  ungenerous  and  unjust  as  they  confess 
themselves  to  be  in  their  treatment  of  the  colored  boy,  who,  like  them- 
selves, has  been  made  a  ward  of  the  nation.  We  know  nothing  of 
this  young  man's  personal  character  or  habits,  but  we  have  seen  no 
unkind  criticism  of  them.  For  that  reason  we  condemn  as  beneath 
contempt  the  spirit  which  drives  him  to  an  isolation,  in  bearing 
which  the  black  shows  himself  the  superior  of  the  white.  We  do 
not  ask  nor  do  we  care  to  encourage  any  thing  more  than  decent 
courtesy.  But  the  young  gentlemen  who  boast  of  holding  only  offi- 
cial intercourse  with  their  comrade  should  remember  that  no  one  of 
them  stands  before  the  country  in  any  different  light  from  him. 
West  Point  is  an  academy  for  the  training  of  young  men,  presumably 
representative  of  the  people,  for  a  career  sufficiently  honorable  to 

*  This  article  was  cut  from  a  newspaper,  and,  together  with  the 
name  of  the  paper,  was  posted  in  a  conspicuous  place,  where  other 
cadets,  as  well  as  myself,  saw  and  read  it. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  119 

gratify  any  ambition.  The  cadets  come  from  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, from  all  ranks  of  the  social  scale.  Amalgamated  by  the  uniform 
course  of  studies  and  the  similarity  of  discipline,  the  separating  frag- 
ments at  the  end  of  the  student  life  carry  similar  qualities  into  the  life 
before  them,  and  step  with  almost  remarkable  social  equality  into  the 
world  where  they  must  find  their  level.  It  would  be  expecting  too 
much  to  hope  that  the  companionship  which  surmounts  or  breaks 
down  all  the  barriers  of  caste,  should  tread  with  equal  heel  the  prej- 
udices of  color.  But  it  would  be  more  manly  in  these  boys,  if  they 
would  remember  how  easy  ordinary  courtesy  would  be  to  them,  how 
much  it  would  lighten  the  life  of  a  young  man  whose  rights  are  equal 
to  their  own.  It  is  useless  to  ignore  the  inevitable.  This  colored 
boy  has  his  place  ;  he  should  have  fair  encouragement  to  hold  it. 
Heaping  neglect  upon  him  does  not  overcome  the  principle  involved 
in  his  appointment,  and  while  we  by  no  means  approve  of  such 
appointments  we  do  believe  in  common  justice." 

On  the  ether  hand,  many  have  desired  this  in- 
formation for  a  practical  use,  and  that,  too,  whether 
they  were  prejudiced  or  not.  That  is,  if  friends, 
they  were  anxious  to  know  how  I  fared,  whether  or 
not  I  was  to  be  a  success,  and  if  a  success  4fco  use  that 
fact  in  the  interest  of  the  people  ;  and  if  enemies, 
they  wanted  naturally  to  know  the  same  things  in 
order  to  use  the  knowledge  to  the  injury  of  the  people 
if  I  proved  a  failure. 

I  have  not  always  been  able  to  distinguish  one 
class  from  the  other,  and  have  therefore  been  quite 
reticent  about  my  life  and  treatment  at  West  Point. 
I  have,  too,  avoided  the  newspapers  as  much  as  pos- 
sible. I  succeeded  in  this  so  well  that  it  was  scarcely 
known  that  I  was  at  the  Academy.  Much  surprise 
was  manifested  when  I  appeared  in  Philadelphia  at 
the  Centennial.  One  gentleman  said  to  me  in  the 
Government  building :  "  You  are  quite  an  exhibi- 
tion yourself.  No  one  was  expecting  to  see  a  col- 
ored cadet." 


120  THE   COLOKED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

But  I  wander  from  my  theme.  It  is  a  remark- 
able fact  that  the  new  cadets,  in  only  a  very  few  in- 
stances, show  any  unwillingness  to  speak  or  fra- 
ternize. It  is  not  till  they  come  in  contact  with  the 
rougher  elements  of  the  corps  that  they  manifest 
any  disposition  to  avoid  one.  It  was  so  in  my  own 
class,  and  has  been  so  in  all  succeeding  classes. 

When  I  was  a  plebe  those  of  us  who  lived  on  the 
same  floor  of  barracks  visited  each  other,  borrowed 
books,  heard  each  other  recite  when  preparing  for 
examination,  and  were  really  on  most  intimate 
terms.  But  alas  !  in  less  than  a  month  they  learned 
to  call  me  "nigger,"  and  ceased  altogether  to  visit 
me.  We  did  the  Point  together,  shared  with  each 
other  whatever  we  purchased  at  the  sutler's,  and 
knew  not  what  prejudice  was.  Alas  ,1  we  were  soon 
to  be  informed  !  In  camp,  brought  into  close  con- 
tact with  the  old  cadets,  these  once  friends  discovered 
that  they  were  prejudiced,  and  learned  to  abhor 
even  the  presence  or  sight  of  a  "  d — d  nigger." 

Just  two  years  after  my  entrance  into  the  Acad- 
emy, I  met  in  New  York  a  young  man  who  was  a 
plebe  at  the  time  I  was,  and  who  then  associated 
with  me.  He  recognized  me,  hurried  to  me  from 
across  the  street,  shook  my  hand  heartily,  and  ex- 
pressed great  delight  at  seeing  me.  He  showed  me 
the  photograph  of  a  classmate,  told  me  where  I  could 
find  him,  evidently  ignorant  of  my  ostracism,  and, 
wishing  me  all  sorts  of  success,  took  his  leave. 
After  he  left  me  I  involuntarily  asked  myself, 
"  Would  it  have  been  thus  if  he  had  not  been 
'  found  on  his  prelim  \ '  "  Possibly  not,  but  it  is  very, 
very  doubtful. 


THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  121 

There  are  some,  indeed  the  majority  of  the  corps 
are  such,  who  treat  me  on  all  occasions  with  proper 
politeness.  They  are  gentlemen  themselves,  and 
treat  others  as  it  becomes  gentlemen  to  do.  They 
do  not  associate,  nor  do  they  speak  other  than  of- 
ficially, except  in  a  few  cases.  They  are  perhaps 
as  much  prejudiced  as  the  others,  but  prejudice  does 
not  prevent  all  from  being  gentlemen.  On  the  other 
hand, [there  are  some  from  the  very  lowest  classes 
of  our  population.  They  are  uncouth  and  rough  in 
appearance,  have  only  a  rudimentary  education, 
have  little  or  no  idea  of  courtesy,  use  the  very  worst 
language,  and  in  most  cases  are  much  inferior  to  the 
average  negro.  What  can  be  expected  of  such 
people  ?  They  are  low,  and  their  conduct  must  be 
in  keeping  with  their  breeding.  I  am  not  at  all  sur- 
prised to  find  it  so.  Indeed,  in  ordinary  civil  life  I 
should  consider  such  people  beneath  me  in  the  social 
scale,  '.should  even  reckon  some  of  them  as  roughs, 
and  consequently  give  them  a  wide  berth. 

What  surprises  me  most  is  the  control  this  class 
seems  to  have  over  the  other.  It  is  in  this  class  I 
have  observed  most  prejudice,  and  from  it,  or  rather 
by  it,  the  other  becomes  tainted.  It  seems  to  rule 
the  corps  by  fear.  Indeed,  I  know  there  are  many 
who  would  associate,  who  would  treat  me  as  a 
brother  cadet,  were  they  not  held  in  constant  dread 
of  this  class.  The  bullies,  the  fighting  men  of  the 
corps  are  in  it.  It  rules  by  fear,  and  whoever  dis- 
obeys its  beck  is  "  cut."  The  rest  of  the  corps  fol- 
lows like  so  many  menials  subject  to  command.  In 
short,  there  is  a  fearful  lack  of  backbone.     There  is, 


122  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

it  seems  at  first  sight,  more  prejudice  at  West  Point 
than  elsewhere.     It  is  not  really  so  I  think. 

The  officers  of  the  institution  have  never,  so  far 
as  I  can  say,  shown  any  prejudice  at  all.  They  have 
treated  me  with  uniform  courtesy  and  impartiality. 
The  cadets,  at  least  some  of  them,  away  from  West 
Point,  have  also  treated  me  with  such  gentlemanly 
propriety.  The  want  of  backbone  predominates  to 
such  an  alarming  extent  at  West  Point  they  are 
afraid  to  do  so  there.  I  will  mention  a  few  cases  un- 
der this  subject  of  treatment. 

During  my  first-class  camp  I  was  rather  surprised 
on  one  occasion  to  have  a  plebe — we  had  been  to  the 
Centennial  Exhibition  and  returned,  and  of  course 
my  status  must  have  been  known  to  him — come  to 
my  tent  to  borrow  ink  of  me.  I  readily  complied 
with  his  request,  feeling  proud  of  what  I  thought 
was  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  in  my  cadet  life.  I 
felt  he  would  surely  prove  himself  manly  enough, 
after  thus  recognizing  me,  to  keep  it  up,  and  thus 
bring  others  under  his  influence  to  the  same  cause. 
And  I  was  still  further  assured  in  this  when  I  ob- 
served he  made  his  visits  frequent  and  open.  At 
length,  sure  of  my  willingness  to  oblige  him,  he 
came  to  me,  and,  after  expressing  a  desire  to  "  bone 
up"  a  part  of  the  fourth-class  course,  and  the  need 
he  felt  for  such  "boning,"  begged  me  to  lend  him 
my  algebra.  I  of  course  readily  consented,  gave 
him  my  key,  and  sent  him  to  my  trunk  in  the  trunk 
rooms  to  get  it.  He  went.  He  got  it,  and  returned 
the  key.  He  went  into  ecstasies,  and  made  no  end 
of  thanks  to  me  for  my  kindness,  etc.  All  this  nat- 
urally confirmed  my   oi3inion  and  hope  of  better 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  123 

recognition  ultimately.  Indeed,  I  was  glad  of  an 
opportunity  to  prove  that  I  was  not  nnkind  or  un- 
generous. I  supposed  lie  would  keep  the  book  till 
about  September,  at  which  time  he  would  get  one  of 
his  own,  as  every  cadet  at  that  time  was  required  to 
procure  a  full  course  of  text  -  books,  these  being 
necessary  for  reference,  etc.,  in  future  life.  And  so 
he  did.  Some  time  after  borrowing  the  book,  he 
came  to  me  and  asked  for  India  ink.  I  handed  him 
a  stick,  or  rather  part  of  one,  and  received  as  usual 
his  many  thanks.  Several  days  after  this,  and  at 
night,  during  my  absence — I  was,  if  I  remember 
aright,  at  Fort  Clinton  making  a  series  of  observa- 
tions with  a  zenith  telescope  in  the  observatory  there 
■ — he  came  to  the  rear  of  my  tent,  raised  the  wall 
near  one  corner,  and  placed  the  ink  on  the  floor,  just 
inside  the  wall,  which  he  left  down  as  he  found  it. 

I  found  the  ink  there  when  I  returned.  I  was 
utterly  disgusted  with  the  man.  The  low,  unmanly 
way  in  which  he  acted  was  wholly  without  my  ap- 
proval. If  he  was  disposed  to  be  friendly,  why  be 
cowardly  about  it  ?  If  he  must  recognize  me  secretly, 
why,  I  would  rather  not  have  such  recognition. 
Acting  a  lie  to  his  fellow- cadets  by  appearing  to  be 
inimical  to  me  and  my  interests,  while  he  pretended 
the  reverse  to  me,  proved  him  to  have  a  baseness  of 
character  with  which  I  clidn'  t  care  to  identify  myself. 

September  came  at  last,  and  my  algebra  was  re- 
turned. The  book  was  the  one  I  had  used  my  first 
year  at  the  Academy.  I  had  preserved  it,  as  I  have 
all  of  my  books,  for  future  use  and  as  a  sort  of 
souvenir  of  my  cadet  life.  It  was  for  that  sole  reason 
of  great  value  to  me.     I  enjoined  upon  him  to  take 


124  THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

care  of  the  book,  and  in  nowise  to  injure  it.  My 
name  was  on  the  back,  on  the  cover,  and  my  initial, 
"F,"  in  two  other  places  on  the  cover.  When  the 
book  was  returned  he  had  cut  the  calfskin  from  the 
cover,  so  as  to  remove  my  name.  The  result  was  a 
horrible  disfiguration  of  the  book,  and  a  serious  im- 
pairment of  its  durability.  The  mere  sight  of  the 
book  angered  me,  and  I  found  it  difficult  to  refrain 
from  manifesting  as  much.  He  undoubtedly  did  it 
to  conceal  the  fact  that  the  book  was  borrowed  from 
me.  Such  unmanliness,  such  cowardice,  such  base- 
ness even,  was  most  disgusting  ;  and  I  felt  very 
much  as  if  I  would  like  to — well,  I  don' t  know  that 
I  would.  There  was  no  reason  at  all  for  mutilating 
the  book.  If  he  was  not  man  enough  to  use  it  with 
my  name  on  it,  why  did  he  borrow  it  and  agree  not 
to  injure  it  ?  On  that  sole  condition  I  lent  it.  Why 
did  he  not  borrow  some  one  else's  and  return  mine  % 
I  have  been  asked,  "  What  is  the  general  feeling 
of  the  corps  towards  you  ?  Is  it  a  kindly  one,  or  is 
it  an  unfriendly  one.  Do  they  purposely  ill-treat 
you  or  do  they  avoid  you  merely  ?"  I  have  found 
it  rather  difficult  to  answer  unqualifiedly  such  ques- 
tions ;  and  yet  I  believe,  and  have  always  believed, 
that  the  general  feeling  of  the  corps  towards  me  was 
a  kindly  one.  This  has  been  manifested  in  multi- 
tudes of  ways,  on  innumerably  occasions,  and  under 
the  most  various  circumstances.  And  while  there 
are  some  who  treat  me  at  times  in  an  unbecoming 
manner,  the  majority  of  the  corps  have  ever  treated 
me  as  I  would  desire  to  be  treated.  I  mean,  of 
course,  by  this  assertion  that  they  have  treated  me 
as  I  expected  and  really  desired  them  to  treat  me, 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  125 

so  long  as  they  were  prejudiced.  They  have  held 
certain  opinions  more  or  less  prejudicial  to  me  and 
my  interests,  but  so  long  as  they  have  not  exercised 
their  theories  to  my  displeasure  or  discomfort,  or  so 
long  as  they  have  "  let  me  severely  alone,"  I  had  no 
just  reason  for  complaint.  Again,  others,  who  have 
no  theory  of  their  own,  and  almost  no  manliness, 
have  been  accustomed  "  to  pick  quarrels,"  or  to  en- 
deavor to  do  so,  to  satisfy  I  don't  know  what ;  and 
while  they  have  had  no  real  opinions  of  their  own, 
they  have  not  respected  those  of  others.  Their  feel- 
ing toward  me  has  been  any  thing  but  one  of  jus- 
tice, and  yet  at  times  even  they  have  shown  a  re- 
markable tendency  to  recognize  me  as  having  cer- 
tain rights  entitled  to  their  respect,  if  not  their  appre- 
ciation. 

As  I  have  been  practically  isolated  from  the 
cadets,  I  have  had  little  or  no  intercourse  with  them. 
I  have  therefore  had  but  little  chance  to  know  what 
was  really  the  feeling  of  the  corps  as  a  unit  toward 
myself.  Judging,  however,  from  such  evidences  as 
I  have,  I  am  forced  to  conclude  that  it  is  as  given 
above,  viz.,  a  feeling  of  kindness,  restrained  kind- 
ness if  you  please. 

Here  are  some  of  the  evidences  which  have  come 
under  my  notice. 

I  once  heard  a  cadet  make  the  following  unchris- 
tian remark  about  myself  when  a  classmate  had  been 
accidentally  hurt  at  light-battery  drill :  "  I  wish  it 
had  been  the  nigger,  and  it  had  killed  him. ' '  I  couldn'  t 
help  looking  at  him,  and  I  did  ;  but  that,  and  noth- 
ing more.  Some  time  after  this,  at  cavalry  drill,  we 
were  side  by  side,  and  I  had  a  rather  vicious  horse, 
6 


126  THE    COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

one  in  fact  which  I  could  not  manage.  He  gave  a 
sudden  jump  unexpectedly  to  me.  I  almost  lost  my 
seat  in  the  saddle.  This  cadet  seized  me  by  the  arm, 
and  in  a  tone  of  voice  that  was  evidently  kind  and 
generous,  said  to  me,  "  For  heaven's  sake  be  careful. 
You'll  be  thrown  and  get  hurt  if  you  don't."  How 
different  from  that  other  wish  given  above  ! 

Another  evidence,  and  an  important  one,  may  be 
given  in  these  words.  It  is  customary  for  the  senior, 
or,  as  we  say,  the  first  class,  to  choose,  each  mem- 
ber, a  horse,  and  ride  him  exclusively  during  the 
term.  The  choice  is  usually  made  by  lot,  and  each 
man  chooses  according  to  the  number  he  draws.  By 
remarkable  good  fortune  I  drew  ~No.  1,  and  had  there- 
fore the  first  choice  of  all  the  horses  in  the  stables. 

As  soon  as  the  numbers  drawn  were  published, 
several  classmates  hastened  to  me  for  the  purpose  of 
effecting  an  exchange  of  choice.  It  will  at  once  be 
seen  that  any  such  change  would  in  no  manner  ben- 
efit me,  for  if  I  lost  the  first  choice  I  might  also  lose 
the  chance  of  selecting  a  good  horse.  With  the 
avowed  intention  of  proving  that  I  had  at  least  a 
generous  disposition,  and  also  that  I  was  not  dis- 
posed to  consider,  in  my  reciprocal  relations  with  the 
cadets,  how  I  had  been,  and  was  even  then  treated  by 
them,  I  consented  to  exchange  my  first  choice  for 
the  fourteenth. 

This  agreement  was  made  with  the  first  that  asked 
for  an  exchange.  Several  others  came,  and,  when 
informed  of  the  previous  agreement,  of  course  went 
their  way.  A  day  or  two  after  this  a  number  of 
cadets  were  discussing  the  choice  of  horses,  etc.,  and 
reverted  to  the  exchange  which  I  had  made.     One  of 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  127 

them  suggested  that  if  an  exchange  of  a  choice 
higher  than  fourteen  were  suggested  to  me,  I  might 
accept  it. 

What  an  idea,  he  must  have  had  of  my  character 
to  suppose  me  base  enough  to  disregard  an  agree- 
ment I  had  already  made  ! 

However,  all  in  the  crowd  were  not  as  base  as  he 
was,  and  one  of  them  was  man  enough  to  say  : 

"  Oh  no  !  that  would  be  imposing  upon  Mr.  Flip- 
per's good  nature."  He  went  on  to  show  how  un- 
gentlemanly  and  unbecoming  in  a  "  cadet  and  gen- 
tleman" such  an  act  would  be.  The  idea  was 
abandoned,  or  at  least  was  never  broached  to  me, 
and  if  it  had  been  I  would  never  have  entertained  it. 
Such  an  act  on  the  part  of  the  cadet  could  have 
arisen  only  from  a  high  sense  of  manly  honor  or 
from  a  feeling  of  kindness. 

There  are  multitudes  of  little  acts  of  kindness 
similar  to  these,  and  even  different  ones.  I  need 
not — indeed  as  I  do  not  remember  them  all  I  can- 
not— mention  them  all.  They  all  show,  however,  that 
the  cadets  are  not  avowedly  inclined  to  ill-treat  me, 
but  rather  to  assist  me  to  make  my  life  under  the 
circumstances  as  pleasant  as  can  be.  And  there  may 
be  outside  influences,  such  as  relatives  or  friends, 
which  bias  their  own  better  judgments  and  keep 
them  from  fully  and  openly  recognizing  me.  For 
however  hard  either  way  may  be,  it  is  far  easier  to 
do  as  friends  wish  than  as  conscience  may  dictate, 
when  conscience  and  friends  differ.  Under  such 
conditions  it  would  manifestly  be  unjust  for  me  to 
expect  recognition  of  them,  even  though  they  them- 
selves were  disposed  to  make  it.     I  am  sure  this  is 


128  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

at  least  a  Christian  view  of  the  case,  and  with  such 
view  I  have  ever  kept  aloof  from  the  cadets.  I  have 
not  obtruded  myself  upon  them,  nor  in  any  way  at- 
tempted to  force  recognition  from  them.  This  has 
proved  itself  to  be  by  far  the  better  way,  and  I  don' t 
think  it  could  well  be  otherwise. 

The  one  principle  which  has  controlled  my  con- 
duct while  a  cadet,  and  which  is  apparent  through- 
out my  narrative,  is  briefly  this  :  to  find,  if  possible. 
for  every  insult  or  other  offence  a  reason  or  motive 
which  is  consistent  with  the  character  of  a  gentle- 
man. Whenever  I  have  been  insulted,  or  any 
thing  has  been  done  or  said  to  me  wdiich  might 
have  that  construction,  I  have  endeavored  to  find 
some  excuse,  some  reason  for  it,  which  was  not 
founded  on  prejudice  or  on  baseness  of  character 
or  any  other  ungentlemanly  attribute  ;  or,  in  other 
words,  I  wanted  to  prove  that  it  was  not  done 
because  of  my  color.  If  I  could  find  such  a  reason 
— and  I  have  found  them — I  have  been  disposed 
not  only  to  overlook  the  offence,  but  to  forgive 
and  forget  it.  Thus  there  are  many  cadets  who 
would  associate,  etc.,  were  they  not  restrained  by 
the  force  of  opinion  of  relatives  and  friends.  This 
cringing  dependence,  this  vassalage,  this  mesmerism 
wTe  may  call  it,  we  all  know  exists.  Why,  mauy  a 
cadet  has  openly  confessed  to  me  that  he  did  not 
recognize  us  because  he  was  afraid  of  being  "  cut." 

Again,  I  find  some  too  high-toned,  too  punctili- 
ous, to  recognize  me.  I  attribute  this  not  to  the 
loftiness  of  their  highnesses  nor  to  prejudice,  but  to 
the  depth  of  their  ignorance,  and  of  course  I  forgive 
and  forget.      Others  again  are  so   "reckless,"    so 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  129 

"  don't  care"  disposed,  that  they  treat  me  as  fancy 
dictates,  now  friendly,  now  vacillating,  and  now  in- 
imical. With  these  I  simply  do  as  the  Romans  do. 
If  they  are  friendly,  so  am  I ;  if  they  scorn  me  I  do 
not  obtrude  myself  upon  them  ;  if  they  are  indiffer- 
ent, I  am  indifferent  too. 

There  is  a  rather  remarkable  case  under  this  sub- 
ject which  has  caused  me  no  little  surprise  and  dis- 
appointment. I  refer  to  those  cadets  appointed  by 
colored  members  of  Congress. 

It  was  quite  natural  to  expect  of  them  better 
treatment  than  of  others,  and  yet  if  in  any  thing  at 
all  they  differed  from  the  former,  they  were  the  more 
reserved  and  discourteous.  They  most  "  severely 
let  me  alone."  They  never  associated,  nor  did  they 
speak,  except  officially,  and  then  they  always  spoke 
in  a  haughty  and  insolent  manner  that  was  to  me 
most  exasperating.  And  in  one  case  in  particular 
was  this  so.  One  of  those  so  appointed  was  the  son 
of  the  colored  Congressman  who  sent  him  there,  and 
from  him  at  least  good  treatment  was  reasonably  ex- 
pected. There  have  been  only  two  such  appoint- 
ments to  my  knowledge,  and  it  is  a  singular  fact  that 
they  were  both  overbearing,  conceited,  and  by  no 
means  popular  with  their  comrades.  The  status  of 
one  was  but  little  better  than  my  own,  and  only  in 
that  his  comrades  would  speak  and  associate.  He 
was  not  "cut,"  but  avoided  as  much  as  possible 
without  making  the  offence  too  patent. 

There  was  a  cadet  in  the  corps  with,  myself  who 
invariably  dropped  his  head  whenever  our  eyes  met. 
His  complexion  was  any  thing  but  white,  his  features 
were  rough  and  homely,  and  his  person  almost  en- 


130  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

tirely  without  symmetry  or  beauty.  From  this  sin- 
gular circumstance  and  his  physique,  I  draw  the 
conclusion  that  he  was  more  African  than  Anglo- 
Saxon.  Indeed,  I  once  heard  as  much  insinuated  by 
a  fellow  ■  cadet,  to  whom  his  reply  was  :  "  It' s  an  honor 
to  be  black." 

Near  the  close  of  this  chapter  I  have  occason  to 
speak  of  fear.  There  I  mean  by  fear  a  sort  of  shrink- 
ing demeanor  or  disposition  to  accept  insults  and 
other  petty  persecutions  as  just  dues,  or  to  leave 
them  unpunished  from  actual  cowardice,  to  which 
fear  some  have  been  pleased  to  attribute  my  gen- 
erally good  treatment.  This  latter  fact  has  been 
by  many,  to  my  personal  knowledge,  attributed  to 
fear  in  another  quarter,  viz.,  in  the  cadets  them- 
selves. It  has  many  times  been  said  to  me  by  per- 
sons at  West  Point  and  elsewhere:  "I  don't  sup- 
pose many  of  those  fellows  would  care  to  encounter 
your' 

This  idea  was  doubtless  founded  upon  my  phy- 
sical proportions  —  I  am  six  feet  one  and  three- 
quarter  inches  high,  and  weigh  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  pounds.  In  behalf  of  the  corps  of 
cadets  I  would  disclaim  any  such  notions  of  fear, 

First.  Because  the  conception  of  the  idea  is  not 
logical.  I  was  not  the  tallest,  nor  yet  the  largest 
man  in  the  corps,  nor  even  did  I  give  any  evidence 
of  a  disposition  to  fight  or  bully  others. 

Second.  Because  I  did  not  come  to  West  Point 
purposely  to  "go  through  on  my  muscle."  I  am 
not  a  fighting  character,  as  the  cadets — those  who 
know  me — can  well  testify. 

Third.    Because  it  is    ungenerous  to  attribute 


THE   COLORED  CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  131 

what  can  result  from  man's  better  nature  only  to  ) 
sucli  base  causes  as  fear  or  cowardice.  This  seems 
to  be  about  the  only  way  in  which  many  have  en- 
deavored to  explain  the  difference  between  my  life 
at  West  Point  and  that  of  other  colored  cadets. 
They  seem  to  think  that  my  physique  inspired  a 
sort  of  fear  in  the  cadets,  and  forced  them  at  least 
to  let  me  alone,  while  the  former  ones,  smaller  in 
size,  did  therefore  create  no  such  fear  until  by  per- 
sistent retaliation  it  was  shown  they  were  able  to 
defend  themselves. 

~Now  this,  I  think,  is  the  most  shallow  of  all 
reasoning  and  entirely  unworthy  our  further  notice. 

Fourth.  I  should  be  grieved  to  suppose  any  one 
feared  me:  It  is  not  my  desire  to  go  through  life 
feared  by  any  one.  I  can  derive  no  pleasure  from 
any  thing  which  is  accorded  me  through  motives  of 
fear.  The  grant  must  be  spontaneous  and  volun- 
tary to  give  me  the  most  pleasure.  I  want  nothing, 
not  even  recognition,  unless  it  be  freely  given,  hence 
have  I  not  forced  myself  upon -my  comrades. 

"  But  the  sensible  Flipper  accepted  the  situation, 
and  proudly  refused  to  intrude  himself  on  the  white 
boys. ' '  — Atlanta  (Ga. )  He?'alcl. 

Fifth.  Because  it  is  incompatible  with  the  dig- 
nity of  a  "  cadet  and  a  gentleman"  for  one  to  fear 
another. 

Sixth.  Because  it  is  positively  absurd  to  sup- 
pose that  one  man  of  three  hundred  more  or  less 
would  be  feared  by  the  rest  individually  and  col- 
lectively, and  no  rational  being  would  for  an  instant 
entertain  any  such  idea.  There  is,  however,  a 
single  case  which  may  imply  fear  on  the  part  of  the 


132  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

cadet  most  concerned.  A  number  of  plebes,  among 
them  a  colored  one,  were  standing  on  the  stoop  of 
barracks.  There  were  also  several  cadets  standing 
in  the  doorway,  and  a  sentinel  was  posted  in  the 
hall.  This  latter  individual  went  up  to  one  of  the 
cadets  and  said  to  him,  "  Make  that  nigger  out  there 
get  his  hands  around,"  referring  to  this  plebe  men- 
tioned above. 

I  happened  to  come  down  stairs  just  at  that  time, 
and  as  soon  as  he  uttered  those  words  he  turned  and 
saw  me.  He  hung  his  head,  and  in  a  cowardly  man- 
ner sneaked  off,  while  the  cadets  in  the  door  also  dis- 
persed with  lowered  heads.  Was  it  fear  \  Verily  I 
know  not.     Possibly  it  was  shame. 

Again  I  recall  a  rather  peculiar  circumstance 
which  will  perhaps  sustain  this  notion  of  fear  on  the 
part  of  the  cadets.  I  have  on  every  occasion  when  I 
had  command  over  my  fellow- cadets  in  any  degree, 
noticed  that  they  were  generally  more  orderly  and 
more  obedient  than  when  this  authority  was  [exer- 
cised by  another. 

Thus  whenever  I  commanded  the  guard  there 
were  very  few  reports  for  offences  committed  by 
members  of  the  guard.  They  have  ever  been  obedi- 
ent and  military.  In  camp,  when  I  was  first  in  com- 
mand of  the  guard,  I  had  a  most  orderly  guard  and 
a  very  pleasant  tour,  and  that  too,  observe,  while  some 
of  the  members  of  it  were  plebes  and  on  for  the  first 
time.  On  all  such  occasions  it  is  an  immemorial 
custom  for  the  yearlings  to  interfere  with  and  haze 
the  plebe  sentinels.  Not  a  sentinel  was  disturbed, 
not  a  thing  went  amiss,  and  why  %  Manifestly  be- 
cause it  was  thought — and  rightly  too — that  I  would 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  133 

not  connive  at  such  interference,  and  because  they 
feared  to  attempt  it  lest  they  be  watched  and  re- 
ported. Later,  however,  even  this  semblance  of  fear 
disappeared,  and  they  acted  under  me  precisely  as 
they  do  under  others,  because  they  are  convinced 
that  I  will  not  stoop  to  spy  or  retaliate. 

"  The  boys  were  rather  afraid  that  when  he 
should  come  to  hold  the  position  as  officer  of  the 
guard  that  he  would  swagger  over  them  ;  but  he 
showed  good  sense  and  taste,  merely  assuming  the 
rank  formally  and  leaving  his  junior  to  carry  out 
the  duty.,, — New  York  Herald. 

And  just  here  it  is  worthy  of  notice  that  the 
press,  in  commenting  upon  my  chances  of  graduat- 
ing, has  never,  so  far  as  I  know,  entertained  any 
doubts  of  my  ability  to  do  so.  It  has,  on  the  con- 
trary, expressed  the  belief  that  the  probability  of 
my  graduating  depended  upon  the  officers  of  the 
Academy,  and  upon  any  others  who,  by  influence  or 
otherwise,  were  connected  with  the  Academy.  Some 
have  even  hinted  at  politics  as  a  possible  ground 
upon  which  they  might  drop  me. 

All  such  opinions  have  been  created  and  nurtured 
by  the  hostile  portion  of  the  press,  and,  I  regret  to 
say,  by  that  part  also  which  ought  to  have  been 
more  friendly,  if  not  more  discreet.  No  branch  of 
the  government  is  freer  from  the  influences  and 
whims  of  politicians  than  the  National  Military 
Academy.  Scarcely  any  paper  has  considered  how 
the  chances  of  any  cadet  depended  upon  himself 
alone.  The  authorities  of  the  Academy  are,  or  have 
been,  officers  of  the  army.  They  are,  with  one  or 
two  exceptions,  graduates,  and  therefore,  presuma- 


134  THE   COLORED    CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

bly,  "officers  and  gentlemen."  To  transform  young 
men  into  a  like  ilk  as  themselves  is  their  duty. 
The  country  intrusts  them  with  this  great  respon- 
sibility. To  prove  faithless  to  such  a  charge  would 
be  to  risk  position,  and  even  those  dearer  attributes 
of  the  soldier,  honor  and  reputation.  They  would 
not  dare  ill-treat  a  colored  cadet  or  a  white  one. 
Of  course  the  prejudice  of  race  is  not  yet  overcome 
entirely,  and  possibly  they  may  be  led  into  some 
indiscretion  on  account  of  it ;  but  I  do  not  think  it 
would  be  different  at  any  other  college  in  the  coun- 
try.    It  is  natural. 

There  are  prejudices  of  caste  as  well  as  preju- 
dices of  race,  and  I  am  most  unwilling  to  believe  it 
possible  that  any  officer  would  treat  with  injustice  a 
colored  cadet  who  in  true  gentlemanly  qualities,  in- 
telligence, and  assiduousness  equals  or  excels  cer- 
tain white  ones  who  are  treated  with  perfect  equa- 
nimity. With  me  it  has  not  been  so.  I  have  been 
treated  as  I  would  wish  to  be  in  the  majority  of 
cases.  There  have  been  of  course  occasions  where 
I've  fancied  wrong  had  been  done  me.  I  expected 
to  be  ill-treated.  I  went  to  West  Point  fully  con- 
vinced that  I'd  have  "a  rough  time  of  it."  Who 
that  has  read  the  many  newspaper  versions  of  the 
treatment  of  colored  cadets,  and  of  Smith  in  partic- 
ular, would  not  have  been  so  convinced  %  When, 
therefore,  any  affront  or  any  thing  seemingly  of  that 
nature  was  offered  me,  I  have  been  disposed,  nat- 
urally I  think,  to  unduly  magnify  it,  because  I  ex- 
pected it.  This  was  hasty  and  unjust,  and  so  I 
admit,  now  that  I  am  better  informed.  What  was 
apparently  done  to  incommode  or   discourage   me 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST  POINT.  135 

has  been  shown  to  have  been  done  either  for  my  own 
benefit  or  for  some  other  purpose,  not  to  my  harm. 
In  every  single  instance  I  have,  after  knowing  better 
the  reason  for  such  acts,  felt  obliged  to  acknowledge 
the  injustice  of  my  fears.  At  other  times  I  have  been 
agreeably  surprised  at  the  kindnesses  shown  me  both 
by  officers  and  cadets,  and  have  found  myself  at 
great  loss  to  reconcile  them  with  acts  I  had  already 
adjudged  as  malicious  wrongs. 

I  have,  too,  been  particularly  careful  not  to  fall 
into  an  error,  which,  I  think,  has  been  the  cause  of 
misfortune  to  at  least  one  of  the  cadets  of  color.  If 
a  cadet  affront  another,  if  a  white  cadet  insult  a 
colored  one  for  instance,  the  latter  can  complain  to 
the  proper  authorities,  and,  if  there  be  good  reason 
for  it,  can  always  get  proper  redress.  This  undoubt- 
edly gives  the  consolation  of  knowing  that  the 
offence  will  not  be  repeated,  but  beyond  that  I  think 
it  a  great  mistake  to  have  so  sought  it.  A  person 
who  constantly  complains,  even  with  some  show  of 
reason,  loses  more  or  less  the  respect  of  the  author- 
ities. And  the  offenders,  while  they  refrain  from 
open  acts,  do  nevertheless  conduct  their  petty  per- 
secutions in  such  a  manner  that  one  can  shape  no 
charge  against  them,  and  consequently  finds  himself 
helpless.  One  must  endure  these  little  tortures — the 
sneer,  the  shrug  of  the  shoulder,  the  epithet,  the 
effort  to  avoid,  to  disdain,  to  ignore— and  thus  suffer  ; 
for  any  of  them  are — to  me  at  least — far  more  hard 
to  bear  than  a  blow.  A  blow  I  may  resist  or  ig- 
nore. In  either  case  I  soon  forget  it.  But  a  sneer, 
a  shrug  of  the  shoulder,  mean  more.  Either  is  a 
blow  at  my  sensitiveness,   my  inner  feelings,  and 


136  THE   COLORED   CADET   AT  WEST   POINT. 

which  through  no  ordinary  effort  of  mind  can  be 
altogether  forgotten.  It  is  a  sting  that  burns  long 
and  fiercely.  How  much  better  to  have  ignored  the 
greater  offences  which  could  be  reached,  and  to  have 
thus  avoided  the  lesser  ones,  which  nothing  can  de- 
stroy !  How  much  wiser  to  stand  like  a  vast  front 
of  fortification,  on  some  rocky  moral  height  abso- 
lutely unassailable,  passively  resisting  alike  the  at- 
tack by  open  assault  and  the  surer  one  by  regular 
approaches  !  The  assault  can  be  repulsed,  but  who 
can,  who  has  ever  successfully  stopped  the  mines 
and  the  galleries  through  which  an  entrance  is  at 
length  forced  into  the  interior  % 

"  We  cannot  expect  the  sons  to  forget  the  lessons  of  the  sires  ;  but 
we  have  a  right  to  demand  from  the  general  government  the  rooting 
out  of  all  snobbery  at  West  Point,  whether  it  is  of  that  kind  which 
sends  poor  white  boys  to  Coventry,  because  they  haven't  a  family 
name  or  wealth,  or  whether  it  be  that  smallest,  meanest,  and  shallow- 
est of  all  aristocracies — the  one  founded  upon  color. 

"  If  the  government  is  Dot  able  to  root  out  these  unrepublican  seeds 
in  these  hotbeds  of  disloyalty  and  snobbery,  let  Congress  shut  up  the 
useless  and  expensive  appendages  and  educate  its  officers  at  the  col- 
leges of  the  country,  where  they  may  learn  lessons  in  true  Republican 
equality  and  nationality.  The  remedy  lies  with  Congress.  A 
remonstrance,  at  least,  should  be  heard  from  the  colored  members  of 
Congress,  who  are  insulted  whenever  a  colored  boy  is  ill-treated  by 
the  students  or  the  officers  of  these  institutions.  So  far  from  being 
discouraged  by  defeats,  the  unjust  treatment  meted  out  to  the  young 
men  should  redouble  the  efforts  of  others  of  their  class  to  conquer 
this  new  Bastile  by  storm.  It  should  lead  every  colored  Congressman 
to  make  sure  that  he  either  sends  a  colored  applicant  or  a  white  one 
who  has  not  the  seeds  of  snobbery  or  caste  in  his  soul." 

I  shall  consider  this  last  clause  at  the  end  of  this 
chapter,  where  I  shall  quote  at  length  the  article 
from  which  this  passage  is  taken. 


THE    COLOEED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  137 

If  I  may  be  pardoned  an  opinion  on  this  article, 
I  do  not  think  the  true  remedy  lies  with  Congress 
at  all.  I  do  not  question  the  right  to  demand  of 
Congress  any  thing,  but  I  do  doubt  the  propriety  or 
need  of  such  a  proceeding,  of  course,  in  the  case  un- 
der consideration.  As  to  "  that  kind  which  sends 
poor  white  boys  to  Coventry, ' '  because  of  their  pov- 
erty, etc.,  I  can  say  with  absolute  truthfulness  it 
no  longer  exists.  When  it  did  exist  the  power  to 
discontinue  it  did  not  lie  with  Congress.  Congress 
has  no  control  over  personal  whims  or  prejudices. 
But  I  make  a  slight  mistake.  There  was  a  time 
when  influence,  wealth,  or  position  was  able  to  secure 
a  cadetship.  At  that  time  poor  boys  very  rarely 
succeeded  in  getting  an  appointment,  and  when 
they  did  they  were  most  unmercifully  "cut"  by 
the  snobs  of  aristocracy  who  were  at  the  Academy. 
Then  the  remedy  did  lie  with  Congress.  The  ap- 
pointments could  have  been  so  made  as  to  exclude 
those  snobs  whose  only  recommendation  was  their 
position  in  society,  and  so  also  as  to  admit  boys  who 
were  deserving,  although  they  were  perhaps  poor. 
This  remedy  has  been  made,  and  all  classes  (white), 
whether  poor  or  rich,  influential  or  not,  are  on  terms 
of  absolute  equality. 

But  for  that  other  kind,  "the  one  founded  upon 
color,"  Congress  has  no  remedy,  no  more  than  for 
fanaticism  or  something  of  that  kind. 

This  article  also  tells  us  that  "the  government 
has  been  remiss  in  not  throwing  "around  them  the 
protection  of  its  authority."  I  disdainfully  scout 
the  idea  of  such  protection.  If  my  manhood  cannot 
stand  without  a  governmental  prop,  then  let  it  fall. 


138  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

If  I  am  to  stand  on  any  other  ground  than  the  one 
white  cadets  stand  upon,  then  I  don't  want  the 
cadetship.  If  I  cannot  endure  prejudice  and  perse- 
cutions, even  if  they  are  offered,  then  I  don't  deserve 
the  cadetship,  and  much  less  the  commission  of  an 
army  officer.  But  there  is  a  remedy,  a  way  to  root 
out  snobbery  and  prejudice  which  but  needs  adop- 
tion to  have  the  desired  effect.  Of  course  its  adop- 
tion by  a  single  person,  myself  for  instance,  will  not 
be  sufficient  to  break  away  all  the  barriers  which 
prejudice  has  brought  into  existence.  I  am  quite 
confident,  however,  if  adopted  by  all  colored  cadets, 
it  will  eventually  work  out  the  difficult  thoiigh  by 
no  means  insoluble  problem,  and  give  us  further 
cause  for  joy  and  congratulations. 

The  remedy  lies  solely  in  our  case  with  us.  AVe 
can  make  our  life  at  West  Point  what  we  will.  We 
shall  be  treated  by  the  cadets  as  we  treat  them.  Of 
course  some  of  the  cadets  are  low — they  belong  to 
the  younger  classes — -and  good  treatment  cannot  be 
expected  of  them  at  West  Point  nor  away  from 
there.  The  others,  presumably  gentlemen,  will  treat 
everybody  else  as  becomes  gentlemen,  or  at  any  rate 
as  they  themselves  are  treated.  For,  as  Josh  Bill- 
ings quaintly  tells  us,  "a  gentleman  kant  hide  hiz 
true  karakter  enny  more  than  a  loafer  kan." 

Prejudice  does  not  necessarily  prevent  a  man's 
being  courteous  and  gentlemanly  in  his  relations 
with  others.  If,  then,  they  be  prejudiced  and  treat 
one  with  ordinary  civility,  or  even  if  they  let  one 
"  severely  alone,"  is  there  any  harm  done  ?  Is  such 
a  course  of  conduct  to  be  denounced  2     Religiously, 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  139 

yes  ;  but  in  the  manner  of  every- day  life  and  its  con- 
ventionalities, I  say  not  by  any  means.  I  have  the 
right — no  one  will  deny  it — of  choosing  or  rejecting 
as  companions  whomsoever  I  will.  If  my  choice  be 
based  upon  color,  am  I  more  wrong  in  adopting  it 
than  I  should  be  in  adopting  any  other  reason  ?  It 
may  be  an  unchristian  opinion  or  fancy  that  causes 
me  to  do  it,  but  such  opinion  or  fancy  is  my  own, 
and  I  have  a  right  to  it.  No  one  objects  to  prejudice 
as  such,  but  to  the  treatment  it  is  supposed  to  cause. 
If  one  is  disposed  to  ill-treat  another,  he'll  do  it, 
prejudiced  or  not  prejudiced.  Only  low  persons  are 
so  disposed,  and  happily  so  for  West  Point,  and  in- 
deed for  the  whole  country. 

"  The  system  of  competitive  examination  for  ad- 
mission, so  largely  adopted  within  the  past  few  years 
in  many  of  our  large  cities,  has  resulted  in  recruiting 
the  corps  with  lads  of  bright  intellect  and  more  than 
ordinary  attainments,  while  the  strict  physical  ex- 
amination has  rigorously  excluded  all  but  those  of 
good  form  and  perfect  health.  The  competitive  sys- 
tem has  also  given  to  the  Academy  students  who 
want  to  learn,  instead  of  lads  who  are  content  to 
scramble  through  the  prescribed  course  as  best  they 
can,  escaping  being  '  found '  (a  cadet  term  equiva- 
lent to  the  old  college  word  '  plucked ' )  by  merely 
a  hair's-breadth." 

The  old  way  of  getting  rid  of  the  rough,  uncouth 
characters  was  to  "find"  them.  Few,  very  few  of 
them,  ever  got  into  the  army.  Now  they  are  ex- 
cluded by  the  system  of  competitive  examination 
even  from  entering  the  Military  Academy,  and  if 


140  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

they  should  succeed  in  getting  to  West  Point,  they 
eventually  fail,  since  men  with  no  fixed  purpose 
cannot  graduate  at  West  Point. 

~Now  if  the  "  colored  cadets"  be  not  of  this  class 
also,  then  their  life  at  West  Point  will  not  be  much 
harder  than  that  of  the  others.  The  cadets  may  not 
associate,  but  what  of  that  ?  Am  I  to  blame  a  man 
who  prefers  not  to  associate  with  me  \  If  that  be 
the  only  charge  against  him,  then  my  verdict  is  for 
acquittal.  Though  his  conduct  arises  from,  to  us, 
false  premises,  it  is  to  his  sincere  convictions  right, 
and  we  would  not  in  the  slightest  degree  be  justified 
in  forcing  him  into  our  way  of  looking  at  it.  In 
other  words,  the  remedy  does  not  lie  with  Congress. 

The  kind  of  treatment  we  are  to  receive  at  the 
hands  of  others  depends  entirely  upon  ourselves.  I 
think  my  life  at  West  Point  sufficiently  proves  the 
truth  of  this  assertion.  I  entered  the  Academy  at  a 
time  when,  as  one  paper  had  it,  West  Point  was  a 
"  hotbed  of  disloyalty  and  snobbery,  a  useless  and 
expensive  appendage."  I  expected  all  sorts  of  ill- 
treatment,  and  yet  from  the  day  I  entered  till  the 
day  I  graduated  I  had  not  cause  to  utter  so  much  as 
an  angry  word.  I  refused  to  obtrude  myself  upon 
the  white  cadets,  and  treated  them  all  with  uniform 
courtesy.  I  have  been  treated  likewise.  It  simply 
depended  on  me  what  sort  of  treatment  I  should  re- 
ceive. I  was  careful  to  give  no  cause  for  bad  treat- 
ment, and  it  was  never  put  upon  me.  In  making 
this  assertion  I  purposely  disregard  the  instances  of 
malice,  etc.,  mentioned  elsewhere,  for  the  reason 
that  I  do  not  believe  they  were  due  to  any  deep  per- 
sonal convictions  of  my  inferiority  or  personal  desire 


THE    COLORED    CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  141 

to  impose  upon  me,  but  rather  were  due  to  the  fear 
of  being  ' '  cut ' '  if  they  had  acted  otherwise. 

Our  relations  have  been  such,  as  any  one  will 
readily  observe,  that  even  officially  they  would  have 
been  obliged  to  recognize  me  to  a  greater  or  less  ex- 
tent, or  at  the  expense  of  their  consciences  ignore  me. 
They  have  done  both,  as  circumstances  and  not  incli- 
nation have  led  them  to  do. 

A  rather  unexpected  incident  occurred  in  the 
summer  of  '73,  which  will  show  perhaps  how  intense 
is  that  gravitating  force — if  T  may  so  term  it — which 
so  completely  changes  the  feelings  of  the  plebes, 
and  even  cadets,  who,  when  they  reported,  were  not 
at  all  prejudiced  on  account  of  color. 

It  was  rather  late  at  night  and  extremely  dark. 
I  was  on  guard  and  on  post  at  the  time.  Approach- 
ing the  lower  end  of  my  post,  No.  5,  I  heard  my 
name  called  in  a  low  tone  by  some  one  whom  I  did 
not  recognize.  I  stopped  and  listened.  The  calling 
was  repeated,  and  I  drew  near  the  place  whence  it 
came.  It  proved  to  be  a  cadet,  a  classmate  of  mine, 
and  then  a  sentinel  on  the  adjacent  post,  No.  4.  We 
stood  and  talked  quite  awhile,  as  there  was  no  dan- 
ger either  of  being  seen  by  other  cadets — an  event 
which  those  who  in  any  manner  have  recognized  me 
have  strenuously  avoided — or  "hived  standing  on 
post."  It  was  too  dark.  He  expressed  great  regret 
at  my  treatment,  hoped  it  would  be  bettered,  assured 
me  that  he  would  ever  be  a  friend  and  treat  me  as  a 
gentleman  should. 

Another  classmate  told  me,  at  another  time,  in 
effect  the  same  thing.  I  very  naturally  expected  a 
fulfilment  of  these   promises,  but    alas  !    for  such 


142      THE  COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

hopes  !  They  not  only  never  fulfilled  them,  but 
treated  me  even  as  badly  as  all  the  others.  One  of 
them  was  assigned  a  seat  next  to  me  at  table.  He 
would  eat  scarcely  anything,  and  when  done  with 
that  he  would  draw  his  chair  away  and  pretend  to 
be  imposed  upon  in  the  most  degrading  manner  pos- 
sible. The  other  practised  similar  manoeuvres  when- 
ever we  fell  in  at  any  formation  of  company  or  sec- 
tion. They  both  called  me  "  nigger,"  or  "  d — d  nig- 
ger," as  suited  their  inclination.  Yet  this  ought,  I 
verily  believe,  to  be  attributed  not  to  them,  but  to 
the  circumstances  that  led  them  to  adopt  such  a 
course. 

On  one  occasion,  however,  one  of  them  brought 
to  my  room  the  integration  of  some  differential 
equation  in  mechanics  which  had  been  sent  me  by 
our  instructor.  He  was  very  friendly  then,  appa- 
rently. He  told  me  upon  leaving,  if  I  desired  any 
further  information  to  come  to  his  "  liouse"  and  he 
would  give  it.  I  observed  that  he  called  me  ' '  Mr. 
Flipper." 

One  winter's  night,  while  on  guard  in  barracks 
during  supper,  a  cadet  of  the  next  class  above  my 
own  stopped  on  my  post  and  conversed  with  me  as 
long  as  it  was  safe  to  do  so.  He  expressed — as  all 
have  who  have  spoken  to  me — great  regret  that  I 
should  be  so  isolated,  asked  how  I  got  along  in  my 
studies,  and  many  other  like  questions.  He  spoke 
at  great  length  of  my  general  treatment.  He  assured 
me  that  he  was  wholly  unprejudiced,  and  would  ever 
be  a  friend.  He  even  went  far  enough  to  say,  to  my 
great  astonishment,  that  he  cursed  me  and  my  race 
among  the  cadets  to  keep  up  appearances  with  them, 


THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  143 

and  that  I  must  think  none  the  less  well  of  him  for 
so  doing.  It  was  a  sort  of  necessity,  he  said,  for  he 
would  not  only  be  "cut,"  but  would  be  treated  a 
great  deal  worse  than  I  was  if  he  should  fraternize 
with  me.  Upon  leaving  me  he  said,  "  I'  m  d — d  sorry 
to  see  you  come  here  to  be  treated  so,  but  I  am  glad 
to  see  you  stay." 

Unfortunately  the  gentleman  failed  at  the  ex- 
amination, then  not  far  distant,  and  of  course  did 
not  have  much  opportunity  to  give  proof  of  his 
friendship.     And  thus, 

"  The  walk,  the  words,  the  gesture  could  supply, 
The  habit  mimic  and  the  mieu  belie." 

When  the  plebes  reported  in  '76,  and  were  given 
seats  in  the  chapel,  three  of  them  were  placed  in  the 
pew  with  myself.  We  took  seats  in  the  following 
order,  viz.,  first  the  commandant  of  the  pew,  a  ser- 
geant and  a  classmate  of  mine,  then  a  third-class- 
man, myself,  and  the  plebes.  Now  this  arrange- 
ment was  wholly  unsatisfactory  to  the  third-class- 
man, who  turned  to  the  sergeant  and  asked  of  him  to 
place  a  plebe  between  him  and  myself.  The  sergeant 
turned  toward  me,  and  with  an  angry  gesture 
ordered  me  to  "  Get  over  there."  I  refused,  on  the 
ground  that  the  seat  I  occupied  had  been  assigned 
me,  and  I  therefore  had  no  authority  to  change  it. 
Near  the  end  of  the  service  the  third-classman  asked 
the  sergeant  to  tell  me  to  sit  at  the  further  end  of  the 
seat.  He  did  so.  I  refused  on  the  same  ground  as 
before.  He  replied,  "  Well,  it  don't  make  any  differ- 
ence. I'll  see  that  your  seat  is  changed."  I  feared 
he  would  go  to  the  cadet  quartermaster,  who  had 


144  THE   COLORED    CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

charge  of  the  arrangement  of  seats,  and  have  my  seat 
changed  without  authority.  I  reported  to  the  officer 
in  charge  of  the  new  cadets,  and  explained  the  whole 
affair  to  him. 

"  You  take  the  seat,"  said  he,  "  assigned  you  in 
the  guardhouse" — the  plan  of  the  church,  with 
names  written  on  the  pews,  was  kept  here,  so  that 
cadets  could  consult  it  and  know  where  their  seats 
were — "  and  if  anybody  wants  you  to  change  it  teR 
them  I  ordered  you  to  keep  it." 

The  next  Sabbath  I  took  it.  I  was  ordered  to 
change  it.  I  refused  on  the  authority  just  given 
above.  The  sergeant  then  went  to  the  commandant 
of  cadets,  who  by  some  means  got  the  impression  that 
I  desired  to  change  my  seat.  He  sent  for  me  and 
emphatically  ordered  me  to  keep  the  seat  which  had 
by  his  order  been  assigned  me.  Thus  the  effort  to 
change  my  seat,  made  by  the  third- classman  through 
the  sergeant,  but  claimed  to  have  been  made  by  me, 
failed.  It  was  out  of  the  question  for  it  to  be  other- 
wise. If  the  sergeant  had  wanted  the  seat  himself 
he  would  in  all  probability  have  got  it,  because  he 
was  my  senior  in  class  and  lineal  rank.  But  the 
third- classman  was  my  junior  in  both,  and  therefore 
could  not,  by  any  military  regulation,  get  possession 
of  what  I  was  entitled  to  by  my  superior  rank.  And 
the  effort  to  do  so  must  be  regarded  a  marvellous 
display  of  stupidity,  or  a  belief  on  the  part  of  the 
cadet  that  I  could  be  imposed  upon  with  impunity, 
simply  because  I  was  "alone  and  had  shown  no  dis- 
position to  quarrel  or  demand  either  real  or  imagin- 
ary rights. 

While  in  New  York  during  my  furlough — sum- 


THE    COLORED    CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  145 

mer  of  '75 — I  was  introduced  to  one  of  her  wealthy 
bankers.  We  conversed  quite  a  while  on  various 
topics,  and  finally  resumed  the  subject  on  which  we 
began,  viz.,  "West  Point.  He  named  a  cadet,  whom 
I  shall  call  for  convenience  John,  and  asked  if  I 
knew  him.  I  replied  in  the  affirmative.  After  ask- 
ing various  other  questions  of  him,  his  welfare,  etc., 
he  volunteered  the  following  bit  of  information  : 

"  Oh !  yes,"  said  he,  "  I've  known  John  for  sev- 
eral years.  He  used  to  peddle  newspapers  around 
the  bank  here.  I  was  agreeably  surprised  when  I 
heard  he  had  been  appointed  to  a  cadetship  at  West 
Point.  The  boys  who  come  in  almost  every  morn- 
ing with  their  papers  told  me  John  was  to  sell  me 
no  more  papers.  His  mother  has  scrubbed  out  the 
office  here,  and  cleaned  up  daily  for  a  number  of 
years.  John's  a  good  fellow  though,  and  I'm  glad 
to  know  of  his  success." 

This  information  was  to  me  most  startling.  There 
certainly  was  nothing  dishonorable  in  that  sort  of 
labor — nay,  even  there  was  much  in  it  that  deserved 
our  highest  praise.  It  was  honest,  humble  work. 
But  who  would  imagiiie  from  the  pompous  bearing 
assumed  by  the  gentleman  that  he  ever  peddled 
newspapers,  or  that  his  mother  earned  her  daily 
bread  by  scrubbing  on  her  knees  office  floors  ?  And 
how  does  this  compare  with  the  average  negro  ? 

It  is  not  to  me  very  pleasant  to  thus  have 
another's  private  history  revealed,  but  when  it  is 
done  I  can't  help  feeling  myself  better  in  one  sense 
at  least  than  my  self-styled  superiors.  I  certainly 
am  not  really  one  thing  and  apparently  another. 
The  distant  haughtiness  assumed  by  some  of  them, 


146  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

and  the  constant  endeavor  to  avoid  me,  as  if  I  were 
"a  stick  or  a  stone,  the  veriest  poke  of  creation," 
had  no  other  effect  than  to  make  me  feel  as  if  I  were 
really  so,  and  to  discourage  and  dishearten  me.  I 
hardly  know  how  I  endured  it  all  so  long.  If  I 
were  asked  to  go  over  it  all  again,  even  with  the  ex- 
perience I  now  have,  I  fear  I  should  fail.  I  mean  of 
course  the  strain  on  my  mind  and  sensitiveness 
would  be  so  great  I'  d  be  unable  to  endure  it. 

There  is  that  in  every  man,  it  has  been  said, 
either  good  or  bad,  which  will  manifest  itself  in  Ms 
speech  or  acts.  Keeping  this  in  mind  while  I  con- 
stantly study  those  around  me,  I  find  myself  at 
times  driven  to  most  extraordinary  conclusions.  If 
some  are  as  good  as  their  speech,  then,  if  I  may  be 
permitted  to  judge,  they  have  most  devoutly  ob- 
served that  blessed  commandment,  "  Honor  thy 
father  and  thy  mother,  that  thy  days  may  be  long 
upon  the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  Godgiveth  thee," 
in  that  they  have  profited  by  their  teaching  both 
mentally  and  morally. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  hear  from  many  the  very 
worst  possible  language.  Some  make  pardonable 
errors,  while  others  make  blunders  for  which  there 
can  be  no  excuse  save  ignorance.  Judging  their 
character  by  their  speech,  what  a  sad  condition  must 
be  theirs  ;  and  more,  what  a  need  for  missionary 
work  ! 

This  state  of  affairs  gives  way  in  the  second,  and 
often  in  the  first  year,  to  instruction  and  discipline. 
West  Point's  greatest  glory  arises  from  her  unparal- 
leled success  in  polishing  these  rough  specimens  and 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT  WEST   POINT.  147 

sending  them  forth  "  officers  and  gentlemen."  No 
college  in  the  country  has  such  a  "  heterogeneous 
conglomeration" — to  quote  Dr.  Johnson — of  classes. 
The  highest  and  lowest  are  represented.  The  glory 
of  free  America,  her  recognition  of  equality  of  all 
men,  is  not  so  apparent  anywhere  else  as  at  West 
Point.  And  were  prejudice  entirely  obliterated,  then 
would  America  in  truth  be  that  Utopia  of  which  so 
many  have  but  dreamed.  It  is  rapidly  giving  way 
to  better  reason,  and  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when 
West  Point  will  stand  forth  as  the  proud  exponent 
of  absolute  social  equality.  Prejudice  weakens,  and 
ere  long  will  fail  completely.  The  advent  of  general 
education  sounds  its  death  knell.  And  may  the  day 
be  not  afar  off  when  America  shall  proclaim  her 
emancipation  from  the  basest  of  all  servitudes,  the 
subservience  to  prejudice  ! 

After  feeling  reasonably  sure  of  success,  I  have 
often  thought  that  my  good  treatment  was  due  in  a 
measure  to  a  sort  of  apprehension  on  the  part  of  the 
cadets  that,  when  I  should  come  to  exercise  com- 
mand over  them,  I  would  use  my  authority  to  retal- 
iate for  any  ill-treatment  I  had  suffered.  I  have 
thought  thi%  the  case  with  those  especially  who  have 
been  reared  in  the  principles  of  prejudice,  and  often 
in  none  other,  for  "  prejudices,  it  is  well  known,  are 
the  most  difficult  to  eradicate  from  the  heart  whose 
soil  has  never  been  loosened  or  fertilized  by  educa- 
tion. They  grow  there  as  firm  as  weeds  among 
rocks." 

When  the  time  did  come,  and  I  proved  by  purely 
gentlemanly  conduct  that  it  was  no  harder,  no  more 


148  THE   COLORED   CADET   AT  WEST   POINT. 

dishonorable,  to  be  under  me  than  under  others,  this 
reserve  vanished  to  a  very  great  extent.  I  might 
mention  instances  in  which  this  is  evident. 

At  practical  engineering,  one  day,  three  of  us 
were  making  a  gabion.  One  was  putting  in  the 
watling,  another  keeping  it  firmly  down,  while  I  was 
preparing  it.  I  had  had  some  instruction  on  a  pre- 
vious day  as  to  how  it  should  be  jmade,  but  the  two 
others  had  not.  "When  they  had  put  in  the  watling 
to  within  the  proper  distance  of  the  top  they  began 
trimming  off  the  twigs  and  butt  ends  of  the  withes. 
I  happened  to  turn  toward  the  gabion  and  observed 
what  they  were  doing.  In  a  tone  of  voice,  and  with 
a  familiarity  that  surprised  my  own  self,  I  ex- 
claimed, "  Oh,  don't  do  that.  Don't  you  see  if  you 
cut  those  off  before  sewing,  the  whole  thing  will 
come  to  pieces  %  Secure  the  ends  first  and  then  cut 
off  the  twigs." 

They  stopped  working,  listened  attentively,  and 
one  of  them  replied,  "  Yes,  that  would  be  the  most 
sensible  way."  I  proceeded  to  show  them  how  to 
sew  the  watling  and  to  secure  the  ends.  They  were 
classmates.  They  listened  to  my  voluntary  instruc- 
tion, and  followed  it  without  a  thought  ©f  who  gave 
it,  or  any  feeling  of  prejudice. 

At  foot  battery  drill  one  day  I  was  chief  of  piece. 
After  a  time  the  instructor  rested  the  battery.  The 
cannoneers  at  my  piece,  instead  of  going  off  and  sit- 
ting down,  gathered  around  me  and  asked  questions 
about  the  nomenclature  of  the  piece  and  its  carriage. 
' '  What  is  this  ?"  "  What  is  it  for  V '  and  many  others. 
They  were  third-classmen.  Certainly  there  was  no 
prejudice  in  this.     Certainly,  too,  it  could  only  be 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  119 

due  to  good  conduct  on  my  part.  And  here  is 
another. 

Just  after  taps  on  the  night  of  July  12th,  1876, 
while  lying  in  my  tent  studying  the  stars,  I  hap- 
pened to  overhear  a  rather  angry  conversation  con- 
cerning my  unfortunate  self. 

It  seems  the  cadet  speaking  had  learned  before- 
hand that  he  and  myself  would  be  on  duty  a  few 
days  hence,  myself  as  senior  and  he  as  junior  officer 
of  the  guard.  His  chums  were  teasing  him  on  his 
misfortune  of  being  under  me  as  junior,  which  act 
caused  him  to  enter  into  a  violent  panegyric  upon 
me.  He  began  by  criticising  my  military  aptitude 
and  the  manner  in  which  I  was  treated  by  the  author- 
ities, that  is,  by  the  cadet  officers,  as  is  apparent 
from  what  follows  : 

"That  nigger,"  said  he,  "don't  keep  dressed. 
Sometimes  he's  'way  head  of  the  line.  He  swings 
his  arms,  and  does  other  things  not  half  as  well  as 
other  '  devils,'  and  yet  he's  not  '  skinned '  for  it." 

What  a  severe  comment  upon  the  way  in  which 
the  file-closers  discharge  their  duties  !  Severe,  in- 
deed, it  would  be  were  it  true.  It  is  hardly  reason- 
able, I  think,  to  suppose  the  file- closers,  in  the  face 
of  prejudice  and  the  probability  of  being  "  cut," 
would  permit  me  to  do  the  things  mentioned  with 
impunity,  while  they  reported  even  their  own  class- 
mates for  them. 

And  here  again  we  see  the  fox  and  sour  grapes. 
The  gentleman  who  so  honored  me  with  his  criticism 
was  junior  to  me  in  every  branch  of  study  we  had 
taken  up  to  that  time  except  in  French.  I  was  his 
senior  in  tactics  by — well,  to  give  the  number  of  files 
7 


150  THE   COLORED   CADET   AT  WEST   POINT. 

would  be  to  specify  him  too  closely  and  make  my 
narrative  too  personal.  Suffice  it  to  say  I  ranked 
him,  and  I  rather  fancy,  as  I  did  not  gain  that  posi- 
tion by  favoritism,  but  by  study  and  proficiency,  lie 
should  not  venture  to  criticise.  But  so  it  is  all 
through  life,  at  West  Point  as  well  as  elsewhere. 
Malcontents  are  ever  finding  faults  in  others  which 
they  never  think  of  discovering  in  themselves. 

When  the  time  came  the  detail  was  published  at 
parade,  and  next  day  we  duly  marched  on  guard. 
When  I  appeared  on  the  general  parade  in  full  dress, 
I  noticed  mischievous  smiles  on  more  than  one  face, 
for  the  majority  of  the  corps  had  turned  out  to  see 
me.  I  walked  along,  proudly  unconscious  of  their 
presence. 

Although  I  went  through  the  ceremony  of  guard 
mounting  without  a  single  blunder,  I  was  not  at  all 
at  ease.  I  inspected  the  front  rank,  while  my 
junior  inspected  the  rear.  I  was  sorely  displeased 
to  observe  some  of  the  cadets  change  color  as  they 
tossed  up  their  pieces  for  my  inspection,  and  that 
they  watched  me  as  I  went  through  that  operation. 
Some  of  them  were  from  the  South,  and  educated  to 
consider  themselves  far  superior  to  those  of  whom 
they  once  claimed  the  right  of  possession.  I  know 
it  was  to  them  most  galling,  and  although  I  fully 
felt  the  responsibility  and  honor  of  commanding  the 
guard,  I  frankly  and  candidly  confess  that  I  found 
no  pleasure  in  their  apparent  humiliation. 

I  am  as  a  matter  of  course  opposed  to  prejudice, 
but  I  nevertheless  hold  that  those  who  are  not  have 
just  as  much  right  to  their  opinions  on  the  matter 
as  they  would  have  to  any  one  of  the  various  re- 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  151 

ligious  creeds.  We  in  free  America  at  least  would 
not  be  justified  in  forcing  them  to  renounce  their 
views  or  beliefs  on  race  and  color  any  more  than 
those  on  religion. 

We  can  sometimes,  by  so  living  that  those  who 
differ  from  us  in  opinion  respecting  any  thing  can 
find  no  fault  with  us  or  our  creed,  influence  them  to 
a  just  consideration  of  our  views,  and  perhaps  per- 
suade them  unconsciously  to  adopt  our  way  of  think- 
ing. And  just  so  it  is,  I  think,  with  prejudice. 
There  is  a  certain  dignity  in  enduring  it  which  always 
evokes  praise  from  those  who  indulge  it,  and  also 
often  discovers  to  them  their  error  and  its  injustice. 

Knowing  that  it  would  be  unpleasant  to  my 
junior  to  have  to  ask  my  permission  to  do  this  or 
that,  and  not  wishing  to  subject  him  to  more  morti- 
fication than  was  possible,  I  gave  him  all  the  lati- 
tude I  could,  telling  him  to  use  his  own  discretion, 
and  that  he  need  not  ask  my  permission  for  any 
thing  unless  he  chose. 

This  simple  act,  forgotten  almost  as  soon  as  done, 
was  in  an  exceedingly  short  time  known  to  every 
cadet  throughout  the  camp,  and  I  had  the  indescrib- 
able pleasure,  some  days  after,  of  knowing  that  by 
it  I  had  been  raised  many  degrees  in  the  estimation 
of  the  corps.  Nor  did  this  knowledge  remain  in 
camp.  It  was  spread  all  over  the  Point.  The  act 
was  talked  of  and  praised  by  the  cadets  wherever 
they  went,  and  their  conversations  were  repeated  to 
me  many  times  by  different  persons. 

When  on  guard  again  I  was  the  junior,  and  of 
course  subject  to  the  orders  of  the  senior.  He  came 
to  me  voluntarily, 'and  in  almost  my  own  words  gave 


152  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POK\TT. 

me  exactly  the  same  privileges  I  had  given  my 
junior,  who  was  a  chum  of  my  present  senior.  In 
view  of  the  ostracism  and  isolation  to  which  I  had 
been  subjected,  it  was  expected  that  I  would  be 
severe,  and  use  my  authority  to  retaliate.  When, 
however,  I  did  a  more  Christian  act,  did  to  others 
as  I  would  have  them  do  to  me,  and  not  as  they  had 
sometimes  done,  I  gave  cause  for  a  similar  act  of 
good- will,  which  was  in  a  degree  beyond  all  expec- 
tation accorded  me. 

Indeed,  while  we  are  all  prone  to  err,  we  are  also 
very  apt  to  do  to  others  as  they  really  do  to  us.  If 
they  treat  us  well,  we  treat  them  well ;  if  badly,  we 
treat  them  so  also.  I  believe  such  to  be  in  accord- 
ance with  our  nature,  and  if  we  do  not  always  do 
so  our  failure  is  due  to  some  influence  apart  from 
our  better  reason,  if  we  do  not  treat  them  well,  or 
our  first  impulse  if  we  do.  If  now,  on  the  contrary, 
I  had  been  severe  and  unnecessarily  imperious  be- 
cause of  my  power,  I  should  in  all  probability  have 
been  treated  likewise,  and  would  have  fallen  and  not 
have  risen  in  the  estimation  of  the  cadets. 

It  has  often  occurred  to  me  that  the  terms  "  pre- 
judice of  race,  of  color,"  etc.,  were  misnomers,  and 
for  this  reason.  As  soon  as  I  show  that  I  have  some 
good  qualities,  do  some  act  of  kindness  in  spite  of 
insult,  my  color  is  forgotten  and  I  am  well  treated. 
Again,  I  have  observed  that  colored  men  of  char- 
acter and  intellectual  ability  have  been  treated  as 
men  should  be  by  all,  whether  friends  or  enemies  ; 
that  is  to  say,  no  prejudice  of  color  or  race  has  ever 
been  manifested. 

I  have  been  so  treated  by  men  I  knew  to  be — to 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  153 

use  a  political  term — "  vile  democrats."  Unfor- 
tunately a  bad  temper,  precipitation,  stubbornness, 
and  like  qualities,  all  due  to  non-education,  are  too 
often  attributes  of  colored  men  and  women.  These 
characteristics  lower  the  race  in  the  estimation  of  the 
whites,  and  produce,  I  think,  what  we  call  prejudice. 
In  fact  I  believe  prejudice  is  due  solely  to  non-edu- 
cation and  its  effects  in  one  or  perhaps  both  races. 

Prejudice  of — well,  any  word  that  will  express 
these  several  characteristics  would  be  better,  as  it 
would  be  nearer  the  truth. 

There  is,  of  course,  a  very  large  class  of  ignorant 
and  partially  cultured  whites  whose  conceptions  can 
find  no  other  reason  for  prejudice  than  that  of  color. 
I  doubt  very  much  whether  they  are  prejudiced  on 
that  account  as  it  is.  I  rather  think  they  are  so 
because  they  know  others  are  for  some  reason,  and 
so  cringing  are  they  in  their  weakness  that  they  follow 
like  so  many  trained  curs.  This  is  the  class  we  in 
the  South  are  accustomed  to  call  the  "  poor  white 
trash,"  and  speaking  of  them  generally  I  can  neglect 
them  in  this  discussion  of  my  treatment,  and  with- 
out material  error. 

In  camp  at  night  the  duties  of  the  officers  of  the 
guard  are  discharged  part  of  the  night  by  the  senior 
and  the  other  part  by  the  junior  officer.  As  soon  as 
it  was  night — to  revert  to  the  subject  of  this  article — 
my  junior  came  to  me  and  asked  how  I  wished  to 
divide  the  night  tour. 

' '  Just  suit  yourself.  If  you  have  any  reason  for 
wanting  a  particular  part  of  the  night,  I  shall  be 
pleased  to  have  you  take  it." 

He  chose  the  latter  half  of  the  night,  and  asked 


154  THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

me  to  wake  him  at  a  specified  time.  After  this  he 
discovered  a  reason  for  taking  the  first  half,  and  com- 
ing to  me  said : 

"  If  it  makes  no  difference  to  you  I  will  take  the 
first  half  of  the  night." 

"  As  you  like,"  was  my  reply. 

"  You  '  pile  in '  then,  and  I'll  wake  you  in  time," 
was  his  reply. 

Observe  the  familiarity  in  this  rejoinder. 

The  guard  was  turned  out  and  inspected  by  the 
officer  of  the  day  at  about  12.20  p.m.  After  the  in- 
spection I  retired,  and  was  awakened  between  1  and 
2  p.m.  by  my  junior,  who  then  retired  for  the  night. 

The  officer  in  charge  turned  out  and  inspected  the 
guard  between  2  and  3  p.m. 

Several  of  the  cadets  were  reported  to  me  by 
the  corporals  for  violating  regulations.  The  reports 
were  duly  recorded  in  the  guard  report  for  the  day. 
I  myself  reported  but  one  cadet,  and  his  offence  was 
"  Absence  from  tattoo  roll-call  of  guard." 

These  reports  were  put  in  under  my  signature, 
though  not  at  all  made  by  me,  as  also  was  another 
of  a  very  grave  nature. 

It  seems— for  I  didn't  know  the  initial  circum- 
stances of  the  case— that  a  citizen  visiting  at  West 
Point  asked  a  cadet  if  he  could  see  a  friend  of  Ms 
who  was  a  member  of  the  corps.  The  cadet  at  once 
sought  out  the  corporal  then  on  duty,  and  asked 
him  to  go  to  camp  and  turn  out  this  friend.  The 
corporal  did  not  go.  The  cadet  who  requested  him 
to  do  so  reported  the  fact  to  the  officer  of  the  day. 
The  latter  came  at  once  to  me  and  directed  me,  as 
officer  of  the  guard,  to  order  him  to  go  and  turn  out 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  155 

the  cadet,  and  to  see  that  he  did  it.  I  did  as 
ordered.  The  corporal  replied,  "  I  have  turned  him 
out."  As  the  cadet  did  not  make  his  appearance 
the  officer  of  the  day  himself  went  into  camp, 
brought  him  out  to  his  citizen  friend,  and  then 
ordered  me  in  positive  terms  to  report  the  corporal 
for  gross  disobedience  of  orders.  I  communicated 
to  him  the  corporal' s  reply,  and  received  a  repetition 
of  his  order.  I  obeyed  it,  entering  on  my  guard  re- 
port the  following : 

' ' ,  disobedience  of  orders,  not  turning  out  a 

cadet  for  citizen  when  ordered  to  do  so  by  the  officer 
of  the  guard." 

The  commandant  sent  for  me,  and  learned  from 
me  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case  as  far  as  I  knew 
them.  He  made  similar  requirements  of  the  cor- 
poral himself. 

Connected  with  this  case  is  another,  which,  I 
think,  should  be  recorded,  to  show  how  some  have 
been  disposed  to  act  and  think  concerning  myself. 
At  the  dinner  table,  and  on  the  very  day  this  affair 
above  mentioned  occurred,  a  cadet  asked  another  if 

he  had  heard  about ,  mentioning  the  name  of 

the  cadet  corporal. 

"  No,  I  haven't,"  he  replied  ;  "  what's  the  matter 
with  him?" 

"  Why,  the  officer  of  the  day  ordered  him  re- 
ported for  disobedience  of  orders,  and  served  him 
right  too." 

"  What  was  it  %    Whose  orders  did  he  disobey  V 

"  Some  cit  wanted  to   see  a   cadet  and  asked 

C if  he  could  do  so.     C asked ,  who  was 

then  on  duty,  to  go  to  camp  and  tarn  him  out.     He 


156  THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

didn't  do  it,  but  went  off  and  began  talking  with 
some  ladies.  The  officer  of  the  day  directed  the 
senior  officer  of  the  guard  to  order  him  to  go.     He 

did  order  him  to  go  and replied,  "  I  have  turned 

him  out,"  and  didn't  go.  The  officer  of  the  day 
then  turned  him  out,  and  ordered  him  to  be  reported 
for  disobedience  of  orders,  and  I  say  served  him 
right." 

"  I  don't  see  it,"  was  the  reply. 

"Don't  see  it?    "Why 's  relief  was  on  post, 

and  it  was  his  duty  to  attend  to  all  such  calls  during 
his  tour ;  and  besides,  I  think  ordinary  politeness 
would  have  been  sufficient  to  make  him  go." 

"  Well,  I  can  sympathize  with  him  anyhow." 

"  Sympathize  with  him  !     How  so  V 

"  Because  he* son  guard  to-day '."  What  an  ex- 
cellent reason!  "Because  he's  on  guard  to-day," 
or,  in  other  words,  because  I  was  in  command  of  the 
guard. 

He  then  went  on  to  speak  of  the  injustice  of  the 
report,  the  malice  and  spirit  of  retaliation  shown  in 
giving  it,  and  hoped  that  the  report  would  not  be 
the  cause  of  any  punishment.  And  all  this  because 
the  report  was  under  my  signature. 

When  the  corporal  replied  to  me  that  he  had 
turned  out  the  cadet,  I  considered  it  a  satisfactory 
answer,  supposing  the  cadet's  non-appearance  was 
due  to  delay  in  arranging  his  toilet.  I  had  no  in- 
tention of  reporting  him,  and  did  so  only  in  obedi- 
ence to  positive  orders.  There  surely  was  nothing 
malicious  or  retaliatory  in  that ;  and  to  condemn  me 
for  discharging  the  first  of  all  military  duties — viz., 
obedience  of  orders — is  but  to  prove  the  narrowness 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POIXT.  157 

of  the  intellect  and  the  baseness  of  the  character 
which  are  vaunted  as  so  far  superior  to  those  of  the 
"negro  cadet,"  and  which  condemn  him  and  his 
actions  for  no  other  reason  than  that  they  are  his. 
How  could  it  be  otherwise  than  that  he  be  isolated 
and  persecuted  when  such  minds  are  concerned  % 

In  his  written  explanation  to  the  commandant 
the  corporal  admitted  the  charge  of  disobedience  of 
orders  on  his  part,  but  excused  himself  by  saying  he 
had  delegated  another  cadet  to  discharge  the  duty 
for  him .  This  was  contrary  to  regulations,  and  still 
further  aggravated  his  offence. 

For  an  incident  connected  with  this  tour  of  guard 
duty,  see  chapter  on  "  Incidents,  Humor,"  etc. 

The  only  case  of  downright  malice  that  has  come 
to  my  knowledge — and  I'm  sure  the  only  one  that 
ever  occurred — is  the  following  : 

It  is  a  custom,  as  old  as  the  institution  I  dare 
say,  for  cadets  of  the  first  and  second  classes  to 
march  in  the  front  rank,  while  all  others  take  their 
places  in  the  rear  rank,  with  the  exception  that  third- 
classmen  may  be  in  the  front  rank  whenever  it  is 
necessary  for  the  proper  formation  of  the  company 
to  put  them  there.  The  need  of  such  a  custom  is  ap- 
parent. Fourth-classmen,  or  plebes  not  accustomed 
to  marching  and  keeping  dressed,  are  therefore  unfit 
to  be  put  in  the  front  rank.  Third-classmen  have 
to  give  way  to  the  upper  classmen  on  account  of  their 
superior  rank,  and  are  able  to  march  in  the  front 
rank  only  when  put  there  or  allowed  to  remain  there 
by  the  file- closers.  When  I  was  a  plebe,  and  also 
during  my  third-class  year,  I  marched  habitually  in 
the  rear  rank,  as  stated  with  reason  elsewhere.     But 


158  THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

when  I  became  a  second-classman,  and  had  by  class 
rank  a  right  to  the  front  rank,  I  took  my  place  there. 

Just  about  this  time  I  distinctly  heard  the  cadet 
captain  of  my  company  say  to  the  first  sergeant,  or 
rather  ask  him  why  he  did  not  put  me  in  the  rear 
rank.  The  first  sergeant  replied  curtly,  "  Because 
he' s  a  second-classman  now,  and  I  have  no  right  to 
doit."  This  settled  the  question  for  the  time,  in- 
deed for  quite  a  while,  till  the  incident  above  referred 
to  occurred. 

At  a  formation  of  the  company  for  retreat  parade 
in  the  early  spring  of  '76,  it  was  necessary  to  trans- 
fer some  one  from  the  front  to  the  rear  rank.  Now 
instead  of  transferring  a  third-classman,  the  sergeant 
on  the  left  of  the  company  ordered  me,  a  second- 
classman,  into  the  rear  rank.  I  readily  obeyed, 
because  I  felt  sure  I'd  be  put  back  after  the  com- 
pany was  formed  and  inspected,  as  had  been  done 
by  him  several  times  before.  But  this  was  not  done. 
I  turned  to  the  sergeant  and  reminded  him  that  he 
had  not  put  me  back  where  I  belonged.  He  at  once 
did  so  without  apparent  hesitation  or  unwillingness. 
He,  however,  reported  me  for  speaking  to  him  about 
the  discharge  of  his  duties.  For  this  offence,  I  sub- 
mitted the  following  explanation : 

West  Point,  N.  Y.,  April  11,  1876. 

Offense:  Speaking  to  sergeant  about  formation  of  company  at 
parade. 

Explanation :  I  would  respectfully  state  that  the  above  report  is  a 
mistake.  I  said  nothing  whatever  about  the  formation  of  the  com- 
pany. I  was  put  in  the  rear  rank,  and,  contrary  to  custom,  left 
there.     As  soon  as  the  command  "In  place,  rest,"   was  given,  I 

turned  to  the  nearest  sergeant  and  said,  "Mr. ,  can  I  take  my 

place  in  the  front  rank  ?"    He  leaned  to  the  front  and  looked  along 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  159 

the  line.     I  then  said,  ' '  There  are  men  in  the  front  rank  who  are 

junior  to  me."    I  added,  a  moment  after,  "There  is  one  just  up 

there,"  motioning  with  my  head  the  direction  meant.     He  made  the 

change. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

Henry  O.  Flipper, 

Cadet  Priv. ,  Comp.  "  D, "  First  Glass. 

To  Lieut.  Colonel , 

Commanding  Corps  of  Cadets. 

This  explanation  was  sent  by  the  commandant  to 
the  reporting  sergeant.  He  indorsed  it  in  about  the 
following  words : 

Respectfully  returned  with  the  following  statement  : 
It  was  necessary  in  forming  the  company  to  put  Cadet  Flipper  in 
the  rear  rank,  and  as  I  saw  no  third-classman  in  the  front  rank,  I  left 
him  there  as  stated.     I  reported  him  because  I  did  not  think  he  had 
any  right  to  speak  to  me  about  the  discharge  of  my  duty. 


Cadet  Sergeant  Company  "D." 

A  polite  question  a  reflection  on  the  manner  of 
discharging  one's  duty  !  A  queer  construction  in- 
deed !  Observe,  he  says,  he  saw  no  third-classman 
in  the  front  rank.  It  was  his  duty  to  be  sure  about 
it,  and  if  there  was  one  there  to  transfer  him  to  the 
rear,  and  myself  to  the  front  rank.  In  not  doing  so 
he  neglected  his  duty  and  imposed  upon  me  and  the 
dignity  of  my  class.  I  was  therefore  entirely  justi- 
fied in  calling  his  attention  to  his  neglect. 

This  is  a  little  thing,  but  it  should  be  borne  in 
mind  that  it  is  nevertheless  of  the  greatest  importance. 
We  know  what  effect  comity  or  international  polite- 
ness has  on  the  relations  or  intercourse  between  na- 
tions. The  most  trifling  acts,  such  as  congratula- 
tions on  a  birth  or  marriage  in  the  reigning  family, 
are  wonderfully  efficacious  in  keeping  up  that  fesl- 


160  THE   COLOKED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

ing  of  amity  which  is  so  necessary  to  peace  and  con- 
tinued friendship  between  states.  To  disregard  these 
little  things  is  considered  unfriendly,  and  may  be  the 
cause  of  serious  consequences. 

There  is  a  like  necessity,  I  think,  in  our  own  case. 
Any  affront  to  me  which  is  also  an  affront  to  my 
class  and  its  dignity  deserves  punishment  or  satisfac- 
tion. To  demand  it,  then,  gives  my  class  a  better 
opinion  of  me,  and  serves  to  keep  that  opinion  in  as 
good  condition  as  possible. 

I  knew  well  that  there  were  men  in  the  corps 
who  would  readily  seize  any  possible  opportunity 
to  report  me,  and  I  feared  at  the  time  that  I  might 
be  reported  for  speaking  to  the  sergeant.  I  was 
especially  careful  to  guard  against  anger  or  rough- 
ness in  my  speech,  and  to  put  my  demand  in  the 
politest  form  possible.  The  offence  was  removed. 
I  received  no  demerits,  and  the  sergeant  had  the 
pleasure  or  displeasure  of  grieving  at  the  failure  of 
his  report. 

I  am  sorry  to  know  that  I  have  been  charged,  by 
some  not  so  well  acquainted  with  West  Point  and  life 
there  as  they  should  be  to  criticise,  with  manifesting 
a  lack  of  dignity  in  that  I  allowed  myself  to  be 
insulted,  imposed  upon,  and  otherwise  ill-treated. 
There  appears  to  them  too  great  a  difference  between 
the  treatment  of  former  colored  cadets  and  that  of 
myself,  and  the  only  way  they  are  pleased  to  ac- 
count for  this  difference  is  to  say  that  my  good  treat- 
ment was  due  to  want  of  "  spunk,"  and  even  to  fear, 
as  some  have  said.  It  evidently  never  occurred  to 
them  that  my  own  conduct  determined  more  than 
all  things  else  the  kind  of  treatment  I  would  receive. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  161 

Every  one  not  stubbornly  prejudiced  against 
West  Point,  and  therefore  not  disposed  to  censure  or 
criticise  every  thing  said  or  done  there,  knows  how 
false  the  charge  is.  And  those  who  make  it  scarcely 
deserve  my  notice.  I  would  say  to  them,  however, 
that  true  dignity,  selon  nous,  consists  in  being  above 
the  rabble  and  their  insults,  tand  particularly  in  re- 
maining there.  To  'stoop  to  retaliation  is  not  com- 
patible with  true  dignity,  nor  is  vindictiveness 
manly.  Again,  the  experiment  suggested  by  my 
accusers  has  been  abundantly  tried,  and  proved  a 
most  ridiculous  failure,  while  my  own  led  to  a  glori- 
ous success. 

I  do  not  mean  to  boast  or  do  any  thing  of  the 
kind,  but  I  would  suggest  to  all  future  colored  cadets 
to  base  their  conduct  on  the  "  apiGTovjxh poy,"  the 
golden  mean.  It  is  by  far  the  safer,  and  surely  the 
most  Christian  course. 

Before  closing  this  chapter  I  would  add  with  just 
pride  that  I  have  ever  been  treated  by  all  other  per- 
sons connected  with  the  Academy  not  officially,  as 
becomes  one  gentleman  to  treat  another.  I  refer  to 
servants,  soldiers,  other  enlisted  men,  and  employes. 
They  have  done  for  me  Avhatever  I  wished,  whenever 
I  wished,  and  as  I  wished,  and  always  kindly  and 
willingly.  They  have  even  done  things  for  me  to 
the  exclusion  of  others.  This  is  important  when  it 
is  remembered  that  the  employes,  with  one  excep- 
tion, are  white. 

"NATIONAL   SCHOOLS  AND   SNOBOCRACY. 

"  '  Cadet  Smith  has  arrived  in  Columbia.  He  did  not  "  pass."  ' 
— Pkcenix. 


162  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

"  '  Alexander  Bouchet,  a  young  man  of  color,  graduates  from  Yale 
College,  holding  the  fifth  place  in  the  largest  class  graduated  from 
that  ancient  institution. ' — Exchange. 

"  These  simple  announcements  from  different  papers  tersely  sum 
up  the  distinction  between  the  military  and  civil  education  of  this 
country.  One  is  exclusive,  snobbish,  and  narrow,  the  other  is  liberal 
and  democratic. 

' '  No  one  who  has  watched  the  course  of  Cadet  Smith  and  the  un- 
democratic, selfish,  and  snobbish  treatment  he  has  experienced  from 
the  martinets  of  West  Point,  men  educated  at  the  expense  of  the  gov- 
ernment, supported  by  negro  taxes,  as  well  as  white,  who  attempt  to 
dictate  who  shall  receive  the  benefits  of  an  education  in  our  national 
charity  schools — no  one  who  has  read  of  his  court-martialings,  the 
degradations  and  the  petty  insults  inflicted  upon  him  can  help  feel- 
ing that  he  returns  home  to-day,  in  spite  of  the  Phcenix's  sneers,  a 
young  hero  who  has  '  passed '  in  grit,  pluck,  perseverance,  and  all 
the  better  qualities  which  go  to  make  up  true  manhood,  and  only  has 
been  '  found '  because  rebel  sympathizers  at  West  Point,  the  fledg- 
lings of  caste,  and  the  Secretary  of  War,  do  not  intend  to  allow,  if 
they  can  prevent  it,  a  negro  to  graduate  at  West  Point  or  Annapolis, 
if  he  is  known  to  be  a  negro. 

' '  Any  one  conversant  with  educational  matters  who  has  examined 
the  examinations  for  entrance,  or  the  curriculum  of  the  naval  and 
military  academies,  will  not  for  a  moment  believe  that  their  require- 
ments, not  as  high  as  those  demanded  for  an  ordinary  New  England 
high  school,  and  by  no  means  equal  in  thoroughness,  quantity,  or 
quality  to  that  demanded  for  entrance  at  Yale,  Amherst,  Dartmouth, 
or  Brown,  are  too  high  or  abstruse  to  be  compassed  by  negroes,  some 
of  whom  have  successfully  stood  all  these,  and  are  now  pursuing 
their  studies  in  the  best  institutions  of  the  North. 

"  No  fair-minded  man  believes  that  Smith,  Napier  and  Williams, 
Conyers  and  McClellan,  have  had  impartial  treatment.  The  govern- 
ment itself  has  been  remiss  in  not  throwing  about  them  the  protec- 
tion of  its  authority.  Had  these  colored  boys  been  students  at  St. 
Cyr,  in  Paris,  or  Woolwich,  in  England,  under  despotic  France  and 
aristocratic  England,  they  would  have  been  treated  with  that  cour- 
tesy and  justice  of  which  the  average  white  American  has  no  idea. 
The  South  once  ruled  West  Point,  much  to  its  detriment  in  loyalty, 
however  much,  by  reason  of  sending  boys  more  than  prepared.  It 
dominated  in  scholarship.  It  seeks  to  recover  the  lost  ground,  and 
rightly  fears  to  meet  on  temis  of  equality  in  the  camp  the  sons  of 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  163 

fathers  to  -whom  it  refused  quarter  in  the  war  and  butchered  in  cold 
blood  at  Fort  Pillow.  "We  cannot  expect  the  sons  to  forget  the  les- 
sons of  the  sires  ;  but  we  have  a  right  to  demand  from  the  general 
government  the  rooting  out  of  all  snobbery  at  "West  Point,  whether 
it  is  of  that  kind  which  sends  poor  white  boys  to  Coventry,  because 
they  haven't  a  family  name  or  wealth,  or  whether  it  be  that  smallest, 
meanest,  and  shallowest  of  all  aristocracies — the  one  founded  upon 
color. 

' '  If  the  government  is  not  able  to  root  out  these  unrepublican  seeds 
in  these  hot-beds  of  disloyalty  and  snobbery,  then  let  Congress  shut 
up  the  useless  and  expensive  appendages  and  educate  its  officers  at 
the  colleges  of  the  country,  where  they  may  learn  lessons  in  true 
republican  equality  and  nationality.  The  remedy  lies  with  Congress. 
A  remonstrance  at  least  should  be  heard  from  the  colored  members 
of  Congress,  who  are  insulted  whenever  a  colored  boy  is  ill-treated 
by  the  students  or  the  officers  of  these  institutions.  So  far  from  be- 
ing discouraged  by  defeats,  the  unjust  treatment  meted  out  to  these 
young  men  should  redouble  the  efforts  of  others  of  their  class  to 
carry  this  new  Bastile  by  storm.  It  should  lead  every  colored  Con- 
gressman to  make  sure  that  he  either  sends  a  colored  applicant  or  a 
white  one  who  has  not  the  seeds  of  snobbery  and  caste  in  his  soul. 
Smith,  after  four  years  of  torture,  comes  home,  is  driven  home,  be- 
cause, forsooth,  he  might  attend  the  ball  next  year  !  He  is  hounded 
out  of  the  Academy  because  he  would  have  to  be  assigned  to  a  white 
regiment  !  There  are  some  negroes  who  feel  that  their  rights  in  the 
land  of  their  birth  are  superior  to  the  prejudices  of  the  enemies  of 
the  Union,  and  who  dare  to  speak  and  Avrite  in  behalf  of  these  rights, 
as  their  fathers  dared  to  fight  for  them  a  veiy  few  years  ago. 

"Bouchet,  under  civil  rule,  enters  Yale  College  the  best  prepared 
student  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  freshmen,  and  all  through  his 
course  is  treated  like  a  gentleman,  both  by  the  faculty  and  the  stu- 
dents, men  who  know  what  justice  means,  and  have  some  adequate 
idea  of  the  true  theory  of  education  and  gentlemanly  conduct.  Two 
freed  boys,  from  North  Carolina  and  South  Carolina,  slaves  during 
the  war,  prepare  at  the  best  Northern  academies,  and  enter,  without 
remonstrance,  Amherst  and  Dartmouth.  What  divinity,  then,  hedges 
West  Point  and  Annapolis  ?  What  but  the  old  rebel  spirit,  which 
seeks  again  to  control  them  for  use  in  future  rebellions  as  it  did  in 
the  past.  The  war  developed  some  unwelcome  truths  with  regard 
to  this  snobbish  and  disloyal  spirit  of  our  national  institutions,  and 
the  exploits  of  some  volunteer  officers  showed  that  all  manhood, 


164  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

bravery,  skill,  and  energy  were  not  contained  in  West  Point  or  An- 
napolis, or,  if  there,  did  not  pertain  solely  to  the  petty  cliques  that 
aim  to  give  tone  to  those  academies.  It  is  not  for  any  officer,  the 
creature  of  the  government — it  is  not  for  any  student,  the  willing 
ward  of  that  government — to  say  who  shall  enter  the  national  schools 
and  he  the  recipients  of  my  bounty.  It  is  the  duty  of  every  mem- 
ber of  Congress  to  see  that  the  government  sanctions  no  such  spirit  ; 
and  it  becomes  every  loyal  citizen  who  wishes  to  avoid  the  mistakes 
of  the  former  war  to  see  to  it  that  no  class  be  excluded,  and  that  every 
boy,  once  admitted,  shall  have  the  strictest  justice  dealt  out  to  him, 
a  thing  which,  thus  far,  has  not  been  done  in  the  case  of  the  colored 
cadets. 

"  The  true  remedy  lies  in  the  feelings  and  sympathies  of  the  officers 
of  these  academies,  in  the  ability  and  fair  investigations  of  the  board 
of  examiners  ;  not  from  such  gentlemen  as  at  present  seem  to  ride 
these  institutions. 

"  Niger  Nigrortjm." 

This  article  was  taken  from  some  South  Carolina 
paper  during  the  summer  of  '74.  Its  tone  is  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  multitude  of  articles  upon  the 
same  subject  which  occurred  about  the  same  time, 
and,  like  them  all,  or  most  of  them,  is  rather  far- 
fetched. It  is  too  broad.  Its  denunciations  cover 
too  much  ground.     They  verge  upon  untruth. 

As  to  Conyers  and  McClellan  at  the  Naval  Acad- 
emy I  know  nothing.  Of  Napier  I  know  nothing. 
Of  Smith  I  prefer  to  say  nothing.  Of  Williams  I  do 
express  the  belief  that  his  treatment  was  impartial 
and  just.  He  was  regularly  and  rightly  found  de- 
ficient and  duly  dismissed.  The  article  seems  to 
imply  that  he  should  not  have  been  "found"  and 
dismissed  simply  because  he  was  a  negro.  A  very 
shallow  reason  indeed,  and  one  "  no  fair-minded 
man1 '  will  for  an  instant  entertain. 

Of  four  years'  life  at  the  Academy,  I  spent  the 
first  with  Smith,  rooming  with  him.     During  the 


THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT  "WEST  POINT.  165 

first  half  year  Williams  was  also  in  the  corps  with 
ns.  The  two  following  years  I  was  alone.  The  next 
and  last  year  of  my  course  I  spent  with  Whittaker, 
of  South  Carolina.  I  have  thus  had  an  opportunity 
to  become  acquainted  with  Smith's  conduct  and  that 
of  the  cadets  toward  him.  Smith  had  trouble  under 
my  own  eyes  on  more  than  one  occasion,  and  Whit- 
taker- has  already  received  blows  in  the  face,  but  I 
have  not  had  so  much  as  an  angry  word  to  utter. 
There  is  a  reason  for  all  this,  and  had  "  Niger  Mgro- 
rum' '  been  better  acquainted  with  it  he  had  never 
made  the  blunder  he  has. 

I  cannot  venture  more  on  the  treatment  of  colored 
cadets  generally  without  disregarding  the  fact  that 
this  is  purely  a  narrative  of  my  own  treatment  and 
life  at  West  Point.  To  go  further  into  that  subject 
would  involve  much  difference  of  opinion,  hard  feel- 
ings in  certain  quarters,  and  would  cause  a  painful 
and  needless  controversy. 

*  Johnson  Chestnut  Whittaker,  of  Camden,  South  Carolina,  ap- 
pointed to  fill  vacancy  created  by  Smith's  dismissal,  after  several 
white  candidates  so  appointed  had  failed,  entered  the  Academy  in 
September,  1876.  Shortly  after  entering  he  was  struck  in  the  face  by 
a  young  man  from  Alabama  for  sneering  at  him,  as  he  said,  while 
passing  by  him.  Whittaker  immediately  reported  the  affair  to  the 
cadet  officer  of  the  day,  by  whose  efforts  this  belligerent  Alabama 
gentleman  was  brought  before  a  court-martial,  tried,  found  guilty, 
and  suspended  for  something  over  six  months,  thus  being  compelled 
to  join  the  next  class  that  entered  the  Academy. 


CHAPTER  XL 

RESUME. 

~T~ULY 1, 1876  !  Only  one  year  more  ;  and  yet  how 
*J  wearily  the  days  come  and  go  !  How  anxiously 
we  watch,  them,  how  eagerly  we  count  them,  as  they 
glimmer  in  the  distance,  and  forget  them  as  they 
fade  !  What  joyous  anticipation,  what  confident  ex- 
pectation, what  hope  animates  each  soul,  each  heart, 
each  being  of  us  !  What  encouragement  to  study 
this  longing,  this  impatience  gives  us,  as  if  it  has- 
tened the  coming  finale  !  And  who  felt  it  more 
than  I  ?  Who  could  feel  it  more  than  I  ?  To  me  it 
was  to  be  not  only  an  end  of  study,  of  discipline,  of 
obedience  to  the  regulations  of  the  Academy,  but 
even  an  end  to  isolation,  to  tacit  persecution,  to  mel- 
ancholy, to  suspense.  It  was  to  be  the  grand  realiza- 
tion of  my  hopes,  the  utter,  the  inevitable  defeat  of 
the  minions  of  pride,  prejudice,  caste.  Nor  would 
such  consummation  of  hopes  affect  me  only,  or  those 
around  me.  Nay,  even  I  was  but  the  point  of 
"primitive  disturbance,"  whence  emanates  as  if 
from  a  focus,  from  a  new  origin,  prayer,  friendly  and 
inimical,  to  be  focused  again  into  realization  on  one 
side  and  discomfiture  on  the  other.  My  friends,  my 
enemies,  centre  their  hopes  on  me.  I  treat  them, 
one  with  earnest  endeavor  for  realization,  the  other 
with  supremest  indifference.  They  are  deviated  with 
varying  anxiety  on  either  side,  and  hence  my  joy, 


THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  167 

my  gratitude,  when  I  find,  July  1,  187G,  that  I  am  a 
first-classman. 

A  first-classman  !  The  beginning  of  realization, 
for  had  I  not  distanced  all  the  colored  cadets  before 
me  ?  Indeed  I  had,  and  that  with  the  greater  pros- 
pect of  ultimate  success  gave  me  double  cause  for 
rejoicing. 

A  first-classman  !  "  There's  something  prophetic 
in  it,"  for  behold 

"  The  country  begins  to  be  agitated  by  the  approaching  graduation 
of  young  Flipper,  the  colored  West  Point  cadet  from  Atlanta.  If  he 
succeeds  in  getting  into  the  aristocratic  circles  of  the  official  army 
there  -will  be  a  commotion  for  a  certainty.  Flipper  is  destined  to  be 
famous." 

Such  was  the  nature  of  the  many  editorials  which 
appeared  about  this  time,  summer  of  '76.  The  cir- 
cumstance was  unusual,  unexpected,  for  it  had  been 
predicted  that  only  slaughter  awaited  me  at  that 
very  stage,  because  Smith  had  failed  just  there,  just 
where  I  had  not. 

"Henry  Flipper,  of  Atlanta,  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the 
only  negro  cadet  that  the  government  is  cramming  with  food  and 
knowledge  at  West  Point.  He  stands  forty-sixth  in  the  third  class, 
which  includes  eighty-five  cadets.  A  correspondent  of  the  New 
York  Times  says  that,  while  all  concede  Flipper's  progress,  yet  it  is 
not  believed  that  he  will  be  allowed  to  graduate.  No  negro  has 
passed  out  of  the  institution  a  graduate,  and  it  is  believed  that  Flip- 
per will  be  eventually  slaughtered  in  one  way  or  another.  The  rule 
among  the  regulars  is  :  No  darkeys  need  apply." 

Or  this  : 

"  Smith's  dismissal  leaves  Henry  Flipper  the  sole  cadet  of  color  at 
West  Point.  Flipper's  pathway  will  not  be  strewn  with  roses,  and 
we  shall  be  surprised  if  the  Radicals  do  not  compel  him,  within  a 
year,  to  seek  refuge  from  a  sea  of  troubles  in  his  father's  quiet  shoe 
shop  on  Decatur  Street." 


168  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

Isn't  it  strange  how  some  people  strive  to  drag 
every  tiling  into  politics  !  A  political  reason  is  as- 
signed to  every  thing,  and  "  every  thing  is  politics." 

The  many  editors  who  have  written  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  colored  cadets  have,  with  few  exceptions, 
followed  the  more  prejudiced  and  narrow-minded 
critics  who  have  attributed  every  thing,  ill-treatment, 
etc.,  to  a  natural  aversion  for  the  negro,  and  to 
political  reasons.  They  seem  to  think  it  impossible 
for  one  to  discharge  a  duty  or  to  act  with  justice  in 
any  thing  where  a  negro  is  concerned.  Now  this  is 
unchristian  as  well  as  hasty  and  undeserved.  As  I 
have  said  elsewhere  in  my  narrative,  aside  from  the 
authorities  being  de facto  "  officers  and  gentlemen," 
and  therefore  morally  bound  to  discharge  faithfully 
every  duty,  they  are  under  too  great  a  responsibil- 
ity to  permit  them  to  act  as  some  have  asserted  for 
them,  to  compel  me  "  to  seek  refuge  from  a  sea  of 
troubles,"  or  to  cause  me  to  "be  eventually  slaugh- 
tered in  one  way  or  another."  Who  judges  thus  is 
not  disposed  to  judge  fairly,  but  rather  as  suits  some 
pet  idea  of  his  own,  to  keep  up  prejudice  and  all  its 
curses. 

It  would  be  more  Christian,  and  therefore  more 
just,  I  apprehend,  to  consider  both  sides  of  the  ques- 
tion, the  authorities  and  those  under  them.  Other  and 
better  reasons  would  be  found  for  some  things  which 
have  occurred,  and  reasons  which  would  not  be  based 
on  falsehood,  and  which  would  not  tend  to  perpet- 
uate the  conflict  of  right  and  prejudice.  My  own 
success  will  prove,  I  hope,  not  only  that  I  had  suffi- 
cient ability  to  graduate — which  by  the  way  none 
have  questioned — but  also  that  the  authorities  were 


THE    COLOEED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  109 

not  as  some  have  depicted  them.  This  latter  proof 
is  important,  first,  because  it  will  remove  that  fear 
which  has  deterred  many  from  seeking,  and  even 
from  accepting  appointments  when  offered,  to  which 
determent  my  isolation  is  largely  due  ;  and  second, 
because  it  will  add  another  to  the  already  long  list 
of  evidences  of  the  integrity  of  our  national  army. 

To  return  to  the  last  quotation.  Immediately  after 
the  dismissal  of  Smith,  indeed  upon  the  very  day  of 
that  event,  it  was  rumored  that  I  intended  to  resign. 
I  learned  of  the  rumor  from  various  sources,  only 
one  of  which  I  need  mention. 

I  was  on  guard  that  day,  and  while  off  duty  an 
officer  high  in  rank  came  to  me  and  invited  me  to 
visit  him  at  his  quarters  next  day.  I  did  so,  of 
course.  His  first  words,  after  greeting,  etc.,  were  to 
question  the  truth  of  the  rumor,  and  before  hearing 
my  reply,  to  beg  me  to  relinquish  any  such  intention. 
He  was  kind  enough  to  give  me  much  excellent 
advice,  which  I  have  followed  most  religiously.  He 
assured  me  that  prejudice,  if  it  did  exist  among  my 
instructors,  would  not  prevent  them  from  treating 
me  justly  and  impartially.  I  am  proud  to  testify 
now  to  the  truth  of  his  assurance.  He  further 
assured  me  that  the  officers  of  the  Academy  and  of 
the  army,  and  especially  the  older  ones,  desired  to 
have  me  graduate,  and  that  they  would  do  all  within 
the  legitimate  exercise  of  their  authority  to  promote 
that  end.  This  assurance  has  been  made  me  by  offi- 
cers of  nearly  every  grade  in  the  army,  from  the  gen- 
eral down,  and  has  ever  been  carried  out  by  them 
whenever  a  fit  occasion  presented  itself. 

Surely  this  is  not  discouraging.     Surely,  too,  it 


1T0  THE   COLOKED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

is  not  causing  me  "  to  seek  refuge  from  a  sea  of 
troubles."  We  need  only  go  back  to  the  article 
quoted  from  the  Era,  and  given  in  Chapter  III.,  to 
find  an  explanation  for  this  conduct. 

"  We  know  that  any  young  man,  whether  he  be 
poor  or  black,  or  both,  may  enter  any  first-class  col- 
lege in  America  and  find  warm  sympathetic  friends, 
both  among  students  and  faculty,  if  lie  but  prove 
himself  to  be  possessed  of  some  good  qualities" 

This  is  the  keynote  to  the  whole  thing.  One  must 
not  expect  to  do  as  one  pleases,  whether  that  be  right 
or  wrong,  or  right  according  to  some  fanatical  theory, 
and  notwithstanding  to  be  dealt  with  in  a  manner 
warranted  only  by  the  strictest  notion  of  right.  We 
must  force  others  to  treat  us  as  we  wish,  by  giving 
them  such  an  example  of  meekness  and  of  good  con- 
duct as  will  at  least  shame  them  into  a  like  treat- 
ment of  us.  This  is  the  safer  and  surer  method  of 
revenge. 

"  Therefore  if  thine  enemy  hunger,  feed  him  ;  if 
he  thirst,  give  him  drink  ;  for  in  so  doing  thou  shalt 
heap  coals  of  fire  on  his  head." 

To  proceed :  I  am  undoubtedly  a  firsfc-classman. 
None  other  has  enjoyed  that  eminence.  There  are 
many  honors  and  responsibilities  incident  to  that 
position  or  rank.  First- classmen  have  authority  at 
times  over  their  fellow-cadets.  How  will  it  be  when 
I  come  to  have  that  authority  \  Will  that  same  cold- 
ness and  distance  be  manifested  as  hitherto  \  These 
are  important  questions.  I  shall  be  brought  neces- 
sarily into  closer  relations  with  the  cadets  than  be- 
fore. How  will  they  accept  such  relationship  ?  The 
greatest  proof  of  their  personal  convictions  will  be 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  "WEST  POINT.  171 

manifested  in  their  conduct  here.  If  they  evade  my 
authority,  or  are  stubborn  or  disobedient,  then  are 
their  convictions  unfriendly  indeed.  But  if  kind, 
generous,  willing  to  assist,  to  advise,  to  obey,  to  re- 
spect myself  as  well  as  my  office,  then  are  they,  as  I 
ever  believed  them  to  be,  gentlemen  in  all  that  rec- 
ognizes no  prejudice,  no  caste,  nothing  inconsistent 
with  manhood. 

There  are  certain  privileges  accorded  to  first-class- 
men which  the  other  classes  do  not  enjoy.  The  pri- 
vates of  the  first  class  do  duty  as  officers  of  the 
guard,  as  company  officers  at  company  and  battalion 
drills,  at  light  battery  drills,  and  at  other  drills  and 
ceremonies.  In  all  these  cases  they  have  command 
of  other  cadets.  These  cadets  are  subject  to  their 
orders  and  are  liable  to  be  reported — indeed  such  is 
required — for  disobedience,  stubbornness,  or  for  any 
thing  prejudicial  to  good  order  and  good  discipline. 

In  this  fact  is  a  reason — the  only  one,  I  think, 
which  will  in  any  manner  account  for  the  unpardon- 
able reserve  of  many  of  the  cadets.  To  be  subject  to 
me,  to  my  orders,  was  to  them  an  unbearable  torture. 
As  they  looked  forward  to  the  time  when  I  should 
exercise  command  over  them,  they  could  not  help 
feeling  the  mortification  which  would  be  upon  them. 

I  must  modify  my  statement.  They  may  be  prej- 
udiced, and  yet  gentlemen,  and  if  gentlemen  they 
will  not  evade  authority  even  though  vested  in  me. 

We  go  into  camp  at  West  Point  on  the  17th  of 
June,  ?76,  for  ten  days.  During  all  that  time  I  enjoy 
all  the  privileges  of  first-classmen.  Nothing  is  done 
to  make  it  unpleasant  or  in  any  way  to  discourage 
or  dishearten  me.     We  go  to  Philadelphia.     We  visit 


172  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

the  Centennial,  and  there  not  only  is  the  same  kind- 
ness shown  me,  but  I  find  a  number  of  cadets  accost 
me  whenever  we  meet,  on  the  avenues  and  streets, 
on  the  grounds  and  in  the  city.  They  ask  ques- 
tions, converse,  answer  questions.  This  occurred 
several  times  at  the  Southern  Restaurant,  as  well  as 
elsewhere.  After  the  parade  on  the  4th  of  July, 
every  kindness  was  shown  me.  Those  cadets  near 
me  bought  lemons,  lemonade,  etc,  and  shared  with 
me,  and  when,  on  another  occasion,  I  was  the  pur- 
chaser, they  freely  partook  of  my  "good  cheer." 
What  conclusion  shall  I  draw  from  this  \  That  they 
are  unfriendly  or  prejudiced  \  I  fain  would  drop  my 
pen  and  burn  my  manuscript  if  for  even  an  instant  I 
thought  it  possible.  And  yet  how  shall  I  explain 
away  this  bit  of  braggadocio  in  the  words  italicized 
in  this  article  from  the  Philadelphia  Times  f 

"  The  Color  Line. — One  of  the  first-classmen  is  Mr.  Flipper,  of 
Georgia,  a  young  colored  man.  '  We  don't  have  any  thing  to  do 
with  him  off  duty,'  said  one  of  the  cadets  yesterday.  '  We  don't 
even  speak  to  Mm.  Of  course  we  have  to  eat  with  him,  and  drill 
with  him,  and  go  on  guard  with  him,  out  that  ends  it.  Outside  of 
duty,  ice  don't  know  Mm.'  'Is  he  intelligent?'  'Yes;  he  stands 
high  in  his  class,  and  I  see  no  reason  to  doubt  that  he  will  graduate 
next  June.  He  has  the  negro  features  strongly  developed,  but  in 
color  he  is  rather  light. ' ' ' 

Easily  enough,  I  think.  In  the  first  place  the 
statement  is  too  broad,  if  made  by  a  cadet,  which  I 
very  much  doubt.  There  are  some  of  that  "we" 
who  do  know  me  outside  of  duty.  And  if  a  cadet 
made  the  statement  he  must  have  been  a  plebe,  one 
unacquainted  with  my  status  in  the  corps,  or  one 
who,  strenuously  avoiding  me  himself,  supposed  all 
others  likewise  did  so.     The  cadet  was  not  a  first- 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  173 

classman.  There  is  a  want  of  information  in  his  last 
answer  which  conld  not  have  been  shown  by  a  first- 
classman. 

Again,  he  says  we  "go  on  guard  with  him." 
Now  that  is  untrue,  as  I  understand  it.  The  word 
"  with  "  would  imply  that  we  were  on  guard  in  the 
same  capacity,  viz.,  as  privates.  But  first-classmen 
do  no  guard  duty  in  that  capacity,  and  hence  not 
being  himself  a  first-classman  he  could  not  have  been 
on  guard  "  with"  me.  If  he  had  said  "  under  him," 
his  statement  would  have  been  nearer  the  truth. 

After  a  stay  of  ten  days  in  Philadelphia,  we  re- 
turn to  West  Point,  and  still  the  same  respect  is 
shown  me.  There  is  but  little  more  of  open  recog- 
nition, if  any,  than  before,  and  yet  that  I  am  re- 
spected is  shown  in  many  ways.  See,  for  example, 
the  latter  part  of  chapter  on  "  Treatment." 

Again,  during  my  first  year  I  many  times  over- 
heard myself  spoken  of  as  "the  nigger,"  "the 
moke,"  or  "the  thing."  Now  openly,  and  when 
my  presence  was  not  known,  I  always  hear  myself 
mentioned  as  Mr.  Flipper.  There  are  a  few  who  use 
both  forms  of  address  as  best  suits  their  convenience 
or  inclination  at  the  time.  But  why  is  it  %  Why 
not  "nigger,"  "moke,"  or  "thing"  as  formerly? 
Is  there,  can  there  be  any  other  reason  than  that  they 
respect  me  more  now  than  then  ?  I  am  most  unwill- 
ing to  believe  there  could  be. 

We  begin  our  regular  routine  of  duties,  etc.  We 
have  practical  military  engineering,  ordnance,  artil- 
lery, practical  astronomy  in  field  and  permanent  ob- 
servatories, telegraphy,  and  guard.  We  are  detailed 
for  these  duties.     Not  the  least  distinction  is  made. 


174  THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

Not  the  slightest  partiality  is  shown.  Always  the 
same  regard  for  my  feelings,  the  same  respect  for  me  ! 
See  the  case  of  gabion  in  the  chapter  on  "Treat- 
ment." 

At  length,  in  my  proper  order,  I  am  detailed  for 
officer  of  the  guard.  True,  the  cadets  expressed 
some  wonderment,  but  why  %  Simply,  and  reason- 
ably enough  too,  because  I  was  the  first  person  of 
color  that  had  ever  commanded  a  guard  at  the  Mil- 
itary Academy  of  the  United  States.  It  is  but  a  nat- 
ural curiosity.  And  how  am  I  treated  %  Is  my 
authority  recognized  %  Indeed  it  is.  My  sergeant 
not  only  volunteered  to  make  out  the  guard  report 
for  me,  but  also  offered  any  assistance  I  might  want, 
aside  from  the  discharge  of  his  own  duty  as  sergeant 
of  the  guard.  Again,  a  number  of  plebes  were  con- 
fined in  the  guard  tents  for  grossness  and  careless- 
ness. I  took  their  names,  the  times  of  their  impris- 
onment, and  obtained  permission  to  release  them.  I 
was  thanked  for  my  trouble.  Again,  a  cadet's 
father  wishes  to  see  him.  He  is  in  arrest.  I  get  per- 
mission for  him  to  visit  his  father  at  the  guard  tents. 
I  go  to  his  tent  and  tell  him,  and  start  back  to  my 
post  of  duty.  He  calls  me  back  and  thanks  me. 
Must  I  call  that  natural  aversion  for  the  negro,  or 
even  prejudice  %  Perhaps  it  is,  but  I  cannot  so  com- 
prehend it.  It  may  have  that  construction,  but  as 
long  as  the  other  is  possible  it  is  generous  to  accept  it. 
And  again,  I  am  ordered  to  report  a  cadet.  I  do  it. 
I  am  stigmatized,  of  course,  by  some  of  the  low  ones 
(see  that  case  under  "  Treatment") ;  but  my  conduct, 
both  in  obeying  the  order  and  subsequently,  is  ap- 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  175 

proved  by  the  better  portion  of  the  corps.  The  com- 
mandant said  to  me:  "  Your  duty  was  a  plain  one, 
and  you  discharged  it  properly.     You  were  entirely 

right  in  reporting  Mr. ."     What  is  the  conduct 

of  this  cadet  himself  afterwards  %  If  different  at  all 
from  what  it  was  before,  it  is,  in  my  presence  at 
least,  more  cordial,  more  friendly,  more  kind.  Still 
there  is  no  ill-treatment,  assuming  of  course  that  my 
own  conduct  is  proper,  and  not  obtrusive  or  over- 
bearing. And  so  in  a  multitude  of  ways  this  fact  is 
proved.  I  have  noticed  many  things,  little  things 
perhaps  they  were,  but  still  proof  s,  in  the  conduct  of 
all  the  cadets  which  remove  all  doubt  from  my  mind. 
And  yet  with  all  my  observation  and  careful  study 
of  those  around  me,  I  have  many  times  been  unable 
to  decide  what  was  the  feeling  of  the  cadets  toward 
me.  Some  have  been  one  thing  everywhere  and  at 
all  times,  not  unkind  or  ungenerous,  nor  even  unwill- 
ing to  hear  me  and  be  with  me,  or  near  me,  or  on 
duty  with  me,  or  alone  with  me.  Some  again,  while 
not  avoiding  me  in  the  presence  of  others  have  never- 
theless manifested  their  uneasy  dislike  of  my  prox- 
imity. When  alone  with  me  they  are  kind,  and  all 
I  could  wish  them  to  be.  Others  have  not  only 
strenuously  avoided  me  when  with  their  companions, 
but  have  even  at  times  shown  a  low  disposition,  a 
desire  to  wound  my  feelings  or  to  chill  me  with  their 
coldness.  But  alone,  behold  they  know  how  to 
mimic  gentlemen.  The  kind  of  treatment  which  I 
■  was  to  receive,  and  have  received  at  the  hands  of  the 
cadets,  has  been  a  matter  of  little  moment  to  me. 
True,  it  has  at  times  been  galling,  but  its  severest 


176  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

effects  have  been  but  temporary  and  have  caused  me 
no  considerable  trouble  or  inconvenience.  I  have 
rigidly  overlooked  it  all. 

The  officers,  on  the  contrary,  as  officers  and  gen- 
tlemen, have  in  a  manner  been  bound  to  accord  me 
precisely  the  same  privileges  and  advantages,  etc., 
which  they  granted  the  other  cadets,  and  they  have 
ever  done  so. 

I  must  confess  my  expectations  in  this  last  have 
been  most  positively  unfulfilled,  and  I  am  glad  of  it. 
The  various  reports,  rumors,  and  gossips  have  thus 
been  proved  not  only  false  but  malicious,  and  that 
proof  is  of  considerable  consequence.  That  they 
have  not  been  unkind  and  disposed  to  ill-treat  me 
may  be  readily  inferred  from  the  number  of  demerits 
I  have  received,  and  the  nature  of  the  offences  for 
which  those  demerits  were  given.  They  have  never 
taken  it  upon  themselves  to  watch  me  and  report  me 
for  trifling  offences  with  a  view  of  giving  me  a  bad 
record  in  conduct,  and  thereby  securing  my  dis- 
missal, for  one  hundred  demerits  in  six  months 
means  dismissal.  They  have  ever  acted  impartially, 
and,  ignoring  my  color,  have  accorded  me  all  im- 
munities and  privileges  enjoyed  by  other  cadets, 
whether  they  were  allowed  by  regulations  or  were 
mere  acts  of  personal  favor.  Of  the  majority  of  the 
cadets  I  can  speak  likewise,  for  they  too  have  power 
to  spy  out  and  report. 

As  to  treatment  in  the  section-room,  where  there 
were  many  opportunities  to  do  me  injustice  by  giv- 
ing me  low  marks  for  all  recitations,  good  or  bad, 
for  instance,  they  have  scrupulously  maintained 
their  honor,  and  have  treated  me  there  with  exact 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  "WEST  POINT.  177 

justice  and  impartiality.  This  is  not  a  matter  of 
opinion.  I  can  give  direct  and  positive  proof  of  its 
truthfulness.  In  the  chapter  on  "  Studies,"  in  the 
record  of  marks  that  proof  can  be  found,  my  marks 
per  recitation,  and  the  average  are  good.  By  rank 
in  section  is  meant  the  order  of  my  mark — that  is, 
whether  best,  next,  the  next,  or  lowest.  Are  these 
marks  not  good  %  In  law,  for  example,  once  I  re- 
ceived the  eighth  out  of  nine  marks,  then  the  fifth, 
the  first,  second,  third,  first,  first,  and  so  on. 
Surely  there  was  nothing  in  them  to  show  I  was 
marked  low  either  purposely  or  otherwise. 

My  marks  in  the  section  for  each  week,  month, 
and  the  number  of  men  in  each  section,  afford  the 
means  of  comparison  between  the  other  members  of 
the  section  and  myself.  And  my  marks  are  not  only 
evidence  of  the  possession  on  my  part  of  some  "  good 
faculties,"  but  also  of  the  honor  of  my  instructors 
and  fellow-members  of  section. 

What  manner  of  treatment  the  cadets  chose  to 
manifest  toward  me  was  then  of  course  of  no  account. 
But  what  is  of  importance,  and  great  importance  too, 
is  how  they  will  treat  me  in  the  army,  when  we  have 
all  assumed  the  responsibilities  of  manhood,  coupled 
with  those  of  a  public  servant,  an  army  officer.  Of 
course  the  question  cannot  now  be  answered.  I  feel 
nevertheless  assured  that  the  older  officers  at  least 
will  not  stoop  to  prejudice  or  caste,  but  will  accord 
me  proper  treatment  and  respect.  Men  of  respon- 
sibility are  concerned,  and  it  is  not  presumable  that 
they  will  disregard  the  requirements  of  their  profes- 
sions so  far  as  to  ill-treat  even  myself.  There  is 
none  of  the  recklessness  of  the  student  in  their  ac- 


173  THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

tions,  and  they  cannot  but  recognize  me  as  having 
a  just  claim  upon  their  good- will  and  honor. 

The  year  wears  away — the  last  year  it  is  too — and 
I  find  myself  near  graduation,  with  every  prospect 
of  success.  And  from  the  beginning  to  the  close  my 
life  has  been  one  not  of  trouble,  persecution,  or  pun- 
ishment, but  one  of  isolation  only.  True,  to  an  un- 
accustomed nature  such  a  life  must  have  had  many 
anxieties  and  trials  and  displeasures,  and,  although 
it  was  so  with  me,  I  have  nothing  more  than  that  of 
which  to  complain.  And  if  such  a  life  has  had  its 
unpleasant  features,  it  has  also  had  its  pleasant 
ones,  of  which  not  the  least,  I  think,  was  the  con- 
stantly growing  prospect  of  ultimate  triumph. 
Again,  those  who  have  watched  my  course  and  have 
seen  in  its  success  the  falsity  of  certain  reports,  can- 
not have  been  otherwise  than  overjoyed  at  it,  at  the, 
though  tardy,  vindication  of  truth.  I  refer  especially 
to  certain  erroneous  ideas  which  are  or  were  extant 
concerning  the  treatment  of  colored  cadets,  in  which 
it  is  claimed  that  color  decides  their  fate.  (See  chap- 
ter on  ' '  Treatment. ' ' ) 

I  hope  my  success  has  proved  that  not  color  of 
face,  but  color  of  character  alone  can  decide  such  a 
question.  It  is  character  and  nothing  else  that  will 
merit  a  harsh  treatment  from  gentlemen,  and  of 
course  it  must  be  a  bad  character.  If  a  man  is  a 
man,  un  liomme  comme  ilfaut,  he  need  fear  no 
ill-treatment  from  others  of  like  calibre.  Gentlemen 
avoid  persons  not  gentlemen.  Resentment  is  not  a 
characteristic  of  gentlemen.  A  gentlemanly  nature 
must  shrink  from  it.     There  may  be  in  it  a  certain 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  179 

amount  of  what  is  vulgarly  termed  pluck,  and  per- 
haps courage.  But  what  of  that?  Everybody 
more  or  less  admires  pluck.  Everybody  worships 
courage,  if  it  be  of  a  high  order,  but  who  allows  that 
pluck  or  even  courage  is  an  excuse  for  passion  or  its 
consequences  %  The  whites  may  admire  pluck  in  the 
negro,  as  in  other  races,  but  they  will  never  admit  un- 
warrantable obtrusiveness,  or  rudeness,  or  grossness, 
or  any  other  ungentlemanly  trait,  and  no  more  in  the 
negro  than  in  others.  This  is  quite  just.  A  negro 
would  not  allow  it  even  in  another. 

I  did  not  intend  to  discuss  social  equality  here, 
but  as  it  is  not  entirely  foreign  to  my  subject  I  may 
be  pardoned  a  word  or  so  upon  it. 

Social  equality,  as  I  comprehend  it,  must  be  the 
natural,  and  perhaps  gradual,  outgrowth  of  a  simi- 
larity of  instincts  and  qualities  in  those  between 
whom  it  exists.  That  is  to  say,  there  can  be  no 
social  equality  between  persons  who  have  nothing  in 
common.  A  civilized  being  would  not  accept  a  sav- 
age as  his  equal,  his  socius,  his  friend.  It  would 
be  repugnant  to  nature.  A  savage  is  a  man,  the 
image  of  his  Maker  as  much  so  as  any  being.  He 
has  all  the  same  rights  of  equality  which  any  other 
has,  but  they  are  political  lights  only.  He  who 
buried  his  one  talent  to  preserve  it  was  not  deemed 
worthy  to  associate  with  him  who  increased  his  five 
to  ten.  So  also  in  our  particular  case.  There  are 
different  orders  or  classes  of  men  in  every  civilized 
community.  The  classes  are  politically  equal,  equal 
in  that  they  are  free  men  and  citizens  and  have  all 
the  rights  belonging  to  such  station.    Among  the 


180      THE  COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

several  classes  there  can  be  no  social  equality,  for 
they  have  nothing  socially  in  common,  although  the 
members  of  each  class  in  itself  may  have. 

Now  in  these  recent  years  there  has  been  a  great 
clamor  for  rights.  The  clamor  has  reached  West 
Point,  and,  if  no  bad  results  have  come  from  it 
materially,  West  Point  has  nevertheless  received  a 
bad  reputation,  and  I  think  an  undeserved  one,  as 
respects  her  treatment  of  colored  cadets. 

A  right  must  depend  on  the  capacity  and  end  or 
aim  of  the  man.  This  capacity  and  end  may,  and 
ought  to  be,  moral,  and  not  political  only.  Equal 
capacities  and  a  like  end  must  give  equal  rights,  and 
unequal  capacities  and  unlike  ends  unequal  rights, 
morally,  of  course,  for  the  political  end  of  all  men  is 
the  same.  And  therefore,  since  a  proper  society  is 
a  moral  institution  where  a  certain  uniformity  of 
views,  aims,  purposes,  properties,  etc.,  is  the  object, 
there  must  be  also  a  uniformity  or  equality  of  rights, 
for  otherwise  there  would  be  no  society,  no  social 
equality. 

This,  I  apprehend,  is  precisely  the  state  of  affairs  in 
our  own  country.  Among  those  who,  claiming  social 
equality,  claim  it  as  a  right,  there  exists  the  greatest 
possible  diversity  of  creeds,  instincts,  and  of  moral 
and  mental  conditions,  in  which  they  are  widely 
different  from  those  with  whom  they  claim  this 
equality.  They  can  therefore  have  no  rights  socially 
in  common ;  or,  in  other  words,  the  social  equality 
they  claim  is  not  a  right,  and  ought  not  to  and  can- 
not exist  under  present  circumstances,  and  any  law 
that  overreaches  the  moral  reason  to  the  contrary 
must  be  admitted  as  unjust  if  not  impolitic. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  181 

But  it  is  color,  they  say,  color  only,  which  deter- 
mines how  the  negro  must  be  treated.  Color  is  his 
misfortune,  and  his  treatment  must  be  his  misfortune 
also.  Mistaken  idea  !  and  one  of  which  we  should 
speedily  rid  ourselves.  It  may  be  color  in  some 
cases,  but  in  the  great  majority  of  instances  it  is 
mental  and  moral  condition.  Little  or  no  educa- 
tion, little  moral  refinement,  and  all  their  repulsive 
consequences  will  never  be  accepted  as  equals  of 
education,  intellectual  or  moral.  Color  is  absolutely 
nothing  in  the  consideration  of  the  question,  unless 
we  mean  by  it  not  color  of  skin,  but  color  of  char- 
acter, and  I  fancy  we  can  find  considerable  color 
there. 

It  has  been  said  that  my  success  at  West  Point 
would  be  a  grand  victory  in  the  way  of  equal  rights, 
meaning,  I  apprehend,  social  rights,  social  equality, 
inasmuch  as  all  have,  under  existing  laws,  equal 
political  rights.  Doubtless  there  is  much  truth  in 
the  idea.  If,  however,  we  consider  the  two  races 
generally,  we  shall  see  there  is  no  such  right,  no  such 
social  right,  for  the  very  basis  of  such  a  right,  viz., 
a  similarity  of  tastes,  instincts,  and  of  mental  and 
moral  conditions,  is  wanting.  The  mental  similarity 
especially  is  wanting,  and  as  that  shapes  and  refines 
the  moral  one,  that  too  is  wanting. 

To  illustrate  by  myself,  without  any  pretensions 
to  selfishness.  I  have  this  right  to  social  equality, 
for  I  and  those  to  whom  I  claim  to  be  equal  are  sim- 
ilarly educated.  We  have  'much  in  common,  and 
this  fact  alone  creates  my  right  to  social  and  equal 
recognition. 

"  But  the  young  gentlemen  who  boast  of  holding 


182  THE   COLOKED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

only  official  intercourse  with  their  comrade,  should 
remember  that  no  one  of  them  stands  before  the 
country  in  any  different  light  from  him.  .  .  . 
Amalgamated  by  the  uniform  course  of  studies  and 
the  similarity  of  discipline,  the  separating  fragments 
at  the  end  of  the  student  life  carry  similar  qualities 
into  the  life  before  them,  and  step  with  almost  re- 
markable social  equality  into  the  world  where  they 
must  find  their  level." — Philadelphia  North  Amer- 
ican, July  7th,  1876. 

If  we  apply  this  to  the  people  as  a  unit,  the  sim- 
ilarity no  longer  exists.  The  right,  therefore,  also 
ceases  to  exist. 

The  step  claimed  to  have  been  made  by  my  suc- 
cess is  one  due  to  education,  and  not  to  my  position 
or  education  at  West  Point,  rather  than  at  some 
other  place  ;  so  that  it  follows  if  there  be  education, 
if  the  mental  and  moral  condition  of  the  claimants  to 
that  right  be  a  proper  one,  there  will  necessarily  be 
social  equality,  and  under  other  circumstances  there 
can  be  no  such  equality. 

"  Remember,  dear  friend,"  says  a  correspondent, 
"  that  you  carry  an  unusual  responsibility.  The 
nation  is  interested  in  what  you  do.  If  you  win 
your  diploma,  your  enemies  lose  and  your  friends 
gain  one  very  important  point  in  the  great  argument 
for  equal  rights.  When  you  shall  have  demonstrated 
that  you  have  equal  powers,  then  equal  rights  will 
come  in  due  time.  The  work  which  you  have  chosen, 
and  from  which  you  cannot  now  flinch  without  dis- 
honor, proves  far  more  important  than  either  you  or 
me  (Faculty  at  A.  U.)  at  first  conceived.     Like  all 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  183 

great  things  its  achievement  will  involve  much  of 
trial  and  hardship." 

Alas  !  how  true  !  What  a  trial  it  is  to  be  socially 
ostracized,  to  live  in  the  very  midst  of  life  and  yet  be 
lonely,  to  pass  day  after  day  without  saying  per- 
haps a  single  word  other  than  those  used  in  the  sec- 
tion-room during  a  recitation.  How  hard  it  is  to  live 
month  after  month  without  even  speaking  to  woman, 
without  feeling  or  knowing  the  refining  influence  of 
her  presence  !     What  a  miserable  existence  ! 

Oh  !  'tis  hard,  this  lonely  living,  to  be 

In  the  midst  of  life  so  solitary, 

To  sit  all  the  long,  long  day  through  and  gaze 

In  the  dimness  of  gloom,  all  but  amazed 

At  the  emptiness  of  life,  and  wonder 

What  keeps  sorrow  and  death  asunder. 

'Tis  the  forced  seclusion  most  galls  the  mind, 

And  sours  all  other  joy  which  it  may  find. 

'Tis  the  sneer,  tho'  half  hid,  is  bitter  still, 

And  wakes  dormant  anger  to  passion's  will. 

But  oh  !  'tis  harder  yet  to  bear  them  all 

Unangered  and  unheedful  of  the  thrall, 

To  list  the  jeer,  the  snarl,  and  epithet 

All  too  base  for  knaves,  and  e'en  still  forget 

Such  words  were  spoken,  too  manly  to  let 

Such  baseness  move  a  nobler  intellect. 

But  not  the  words  nor  e'en  the  dreader  disdain 

Move  me  to  anger  or  resenting  pain. 

'Tis  the  thought,  the  thought  most  disturbs  my  mind, 

That  I'm  ostracized  for  no  fault  of  mine, 

'Tis  that  ever-recurring  thought  awakes 

Mine  anger — 

Such  a  life  was  mine,  not  indeed  for  four  years, 
but  for  the  earlier  part  of  my  stay  at  the  Academy. 

But  to  return  to  our  subject.  There  are  two 
questions  involved  in  my  case.     One  of  them  is,  Can  . 


184  THE   COLOEED   CADET   AT  WEST   POINT. 

a  negro  graduate  at  "West  Point,  or  will  one  ever 
graduate  there  %  And  the  second,  If  one  never  grad- 
uate there,  will  it  be  because  of  his  color  or  preju- 
dice ? 

My  own  success  answers  most  conclusively  the 
first  question,  and  changes  the  nature  of  the  other. 
Was  it,  then,  color  or  actual  deficiency  that  caused 
the  dismissal  of  all  former  colored  cadets  %  I  shall 
not  venture  to  reply  more  than  to  say  my  opinion  is 
deducible  from  what  I  have  said  elsewhere  in  my 
narrative. 

However,  my  correspondent  agrees  with  me  that 
color  is  of  no  consequence  in  considering  the  question 
of  equality  socially.  My  friends,  he  says,  gain  an 
important  point  in  the  argument  for  equal  rights. 
It  will  be  in  this  wise,  viz.,  that  want  of  education, 
want  of  the  proof  of  equality  of  intellect,  is  the 
obstacle,  and  not  color.  And  the  only  way  to  get 
this  proof  is  to  get  education,  and  not  by  "  war  of 
races."  Equal  rights  must  be  a  consequence  of  this 
proof,  and  not  something  existing  before  it.  Equal 
rights  will  come  in  due  time,  civil  rights  bill,  war  of 
races,  or  any  thing  of  that  kind  to  the  contrary  not- 
withstanding. 

And  moreover,  I  don't  want  equal  rights,  but 
identical  rights.  The  whites  and  blacks  may  have 
equal  rights,  and  yet  be  entirely  independent,  or 
estranged  from  each  other.  The  two  races  cannot 
live  in  the  same  country,  under  the  same  laws  as  they 
now  do,  and  yet  be  absolutely  independent  of  each 
other.  There  must,  there  should,  and  there  will  be 
a  mutual  dependence,  and  any  thing  that  tends  to 
create  independence,  while  it  is  thus  so  manifestly 


THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  185 

impossible,  can  engender  strife  alone  between  them. 
On  the  other  hand,  whatever  brings  them  into  closer 
relationship,  whatever  increases  their  knowledge  and 
appreciation  of  fellowship  and  its  positive  import- 
ance, must  necessarily  tend  to  remove  all  prejudices, 
and  all  ill-feelings,  and  bring  the  two  races,  and  in- 
deed the  world,  nearer  that  degree  of  perfection  to 
which  all  things  show  us  it  is  approaching.  There- 
fore I  want  identical  rights,  for  equal  rights  may  not 
be  sufficient. 

"  It  is  for  you,  Henry,  more  than  any  one  I  know 
of,  to  demonstrate  to  the  world  around  us,  in  this 
part  of  it  at  least  (the  North),  the  equality  of  intel- 
lect in  the  races.  You  win  by  your  uprightness  and 
intelligence,  and  it  cannot  be  otherwise  than  that 
you  will  gain  respect  and  confidence." 

Thus  a  lady  correspondent  (Miss  M.  E.  H.,  Dur- 
ham Centre,  Ct.)  encourages,  thus  she  keeps  up 
the  desire  to  graduate,  to  demonstrate  to  the  world 
"the  equality  of  intellect  in  the  races,"  that  not 
color  but  the  want  of  this  proof  in  this  semi-barbar- 
ous people  is  the  obstacle  to  their  being  recognized 
as  social  equals.  A  tremendous  task !  Not  so 
much  to  prove  such  an  equality  —  for  that  had 
already  been  abundantly  demonstrated — but  rather 
to  show  the  absurdity  and  impracticability  of  preju- 
dice on  account  of  color ;  or,  in  other  words,  that 
there  is  no  such  prejudice.  It  is  prejudice  on  ac- 
count of  non-refinement  and  non-education. 

As  to  how  far  and  how  well  I  have  discharged 
that  duty,  my  readers,  and  all  others  who  may  be 
in  any  manner  interested  in  me,  must  judge  from  my 
narrative  and  my  career  at  West  Point.     Assuring 


186  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST  POINT. 

all  that  my  endeavor  has  been  to  act  as  most  becomes 
a  gentleman,  and  with  Christian  forbearance  to  dis- 
regard all  unfriendliness  or  prejudice,  I  leave  this 
subject,  this  general  resume  of  my  treatment  at  the 
hands  of  the  cadets,  and  my  own  conduct,  with  the 
desire  that  it  be  criticised  impartially  if  deemed 
worthy  of  criticism  at  all. 

"  Reporter. — Have  you  any  more  colored  cadets  ? 

"  Captain  H . — Only  one — Henry  0.  Flipper, 

of  Georgia.  He  is  a  well-built  lad,  a  mulatto,  and  is 
bright,  intelligent,  and  studious. 

"  Reporter. — Do  the  cadets  dislike  him  as  much 
as  they  did  Smith  % 

"  Captain  H. . — No,  sir  ;  I  am  told  that  he 

is  more  popular.  I  have  heard  of  no  doubt  but  that 
he  will  get  through  all  right." — New  York  Herald, 
July,  1874. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

PLEAS UEES  AKD   PRIVILEGES. 

THE  privileges  allowed  cadets  during  an  encamp- 
ment are  different  generally  for  the  different 
classes.  These  privileges  are  commonly  designated 
by  the  rank  of  the  class,  such,  for  instance,  as  "  first- 
class  privileges, ' '  "  third-class  privileges,  "etc.  Privi- 
leges which  are  common  receive  their  designation 
from  some  characteristic  in  their  nature  or  purpose. 
Thus  we  have  "  Saturday  afternoon  privileges,"  and 
"  Old  Guard  privileges." 

The  cadets  are  encamped  and  are  not  supposed  to 
leave  their  camp  save  by  permission.  This  permis- 
sion is  granted  by  existing  orders,  or  if  for  any 
reason  it  be  temporarily  denied  it  can  be  obtained 
by  "  permit "  for  some  specified  time.  Such  permis- 
sion or  privilege  obtained  by  "  permit "  for  a  partic- 
ular class  is  known  as  "class  privileges,"  and  can 
be  enjoyed  only  by  the  class  that  submits  and  gets 
the  permit. 

"First-class  privileges"  permit  all  members  of 
the  first  class  to  leave  camp  at  any  time  between 
troop  and  retreat,  except  when  on  duty,  and  to  take 
advantage  of  the  usual  "  Saturday  afternoon  privi- 
leges," which  are  allowed  all  classes  and  all  cadets. 
These  privileges,  however,  cannot  be  enjoyed  on  the 
Sabbath  by  any  except  the  first-class  officers,  with- 
out special  permission. 


188  THE    COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

The  usual  form  of  a  permit  is  as  follows  : 

West  Point,  K  Y.,  November  6,  1876. 

Cadet  A— —  B C has  permission  to  walk  on  public  lands 

between  the  hours  of  8  a.m  and  4  p.m. 


Lieut. -Colonel  First  Art'y,  G&md'g  Corps  of  Cadets. 


Commanding  Company  "A." 

By  "  Saturday  afternoon  privileges"  is  meant  the 
right  or  privilege  to  walk  on  all  public  lands  within 
cadet  limits  on  Saturday  afternoon.  This  includes 
also  the  privilege  of  visiting  the  ruins  of  old  Fort 
Putnam,  which  is  not  on  limits.  These  privileges 
are  allowed  throughout  the  year. 

The  second  class  being  absent  on  furlough  dur- 
ing the  encampment,  of  course  have  no  privileges. 
Should  any  member  of  the  class  be  present  during 
the  encampment,  he  enjoys  "first-class  privileges," 
unless  they  are  expressly  denied  him. 

"  Third-class  privileges"  do  not  differ  from  "first- 
class  privileges,"  except  in  that  they  cannot  be  taken 
advantage  of  on  the  Sabbath  by  any  member  of  the 
class. 

The  fourth  class  as  a  class  have  no  privileges. 

"  Old  Guard  privileges"  are  certain  privileges  by 
which  all  members  of  the  "Old  Guard"  are  ex- 
empted from  all  duty  on  the  day  they  march  off 
guard  until  one  o'clock,  and  are  permitted  to  enjoy 
privileges  similar  to  those  of  Saturday  afternoon 
during  the  same  time.  They  also  have  the  privilege 
of  bathing  at  that  time. 

The  baths  are  designated  as  "first,"   "second," 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  189 

and  "third."  The  officers  and  non-commissioned 
officers  have  the  first  baths,  and  the  privates  the 
others. 

Cadets  who  march  off  guard  on  Sunday  are  re- 
stricted in  the  enjoyment  of  their  privileges  to  ex- 
emption from  duty  on  the  Sabbath  only.  They  may 
take  advantage  of  the  other  privileges  on  the  follow- 
ing Monday  during  the  usual  time,  but  are  not  ex- 
cused from  any  duty.  All  members  of  the  "  Old 
Guard,"  to  whatever  class  they  may  belong,  are 
entitled  to  "  Old  Guard  privileges." 

Besides  these  there  are  other  privileges  which 
are  enjoyed  by  comparatively  few.  Such  are  "  Hop 
managers'  privileges."  "Hop  managers"  are  per- 
sons elected  by  their  classmates  from  the  first  and 
third  classes  for  the  management  of  the  hops  of  the 
summer.  To  enable  them  to  discharge  the  duties  of 
their  office,  they  are  permitted  to  leave  camp,  when- 
ever necessary,  by  reporting  their  departure  and  re- 
turn. 

Under  pleasures,  or  rather  sources  of  pleasure, 
may  be  enumerated  hops,  Germans,  band  practice, 
and  those  incident  to  other  privileges,  such  as 
"  spooneying,"  or  "spooning."  The  hops  are  the 
chief  source  of  enjoyment,  and  take  place  on  Mon- 
days and  Fridays,  sometimes  also  on  Wednesdays, 
at  the  discretion  of  the  Superintendent. 

Germans  are  usually  given  on  Saturday  after- 
noons, and  a  special  permit  is  necessary  for  every 
one.  These  permits  are  usually  granted,  unless 
there  be  some  duty  or  other  cause  to  prevent. 

Two  evenings  of  every  week  are  devoted  to  band 


190  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

practice,  Tuesday  evening  for  practice  in  camp,  and 
Thursday  evening  for  practice  in  front  of  the  Super- 
intendent' s  quarters.  Of  course  these  entertain- 
ments, if  I  may  so  term  them,  have  the  effect  of  bring- 
ing together  the  young  ladies  and  cadets  usually 
denied  the  privilege  of  leaving  camp  during  the 
evening.  It  is  quite  reasonable  to  assume  that  they 
enjoy  themselves.  On  these  evenings  "  class  privi- 
leges" permit  the  first-  and  third-classmen  to  be 
absent  from  camp  till  the  practice  is  over.  Some- 
times a  special  permit  is  necessary.  It  might  be  well 
to  say  here,  ere  I  forget  it,  that  Wednesday  evening 
is  devoted  to  prayer,  prayer-meeting  being  held  in 
the  Dialectic  Hall.  All  cadets  are  allowed  to  attend 
by  reporting  their  departure  and  return.  The  meet- 
ing is  under  the  sole  management  of  the  cadets, 
although  they  are  by  no  means  the  sole  participants. 
Other  privileges,  more  or  less  limited,  such  as  the 
holding  of  class  meetings  for  whatever  purpose,  must 
be  obtained  by  special  permit  in  each  case. 

We  have  not  much  longer  here  to  stay, 

Only  a  month  or  two, 
Then  we'll  bid  farewell  to  cadet  gray, 

And  don  the  army  blue. 
Army  blue,  army  blue,  we'll  don  the  army  blue, 
We'll  bid  farewell  to  cadet  gray  and  don  the  army  blue. 

To  the  ladies  who  come  up  in  June, 

We'll  bid  a  fond  adieu, 
And  hoping  they  will  be  married  soon, 

We'll  don  the  army  blue. 
Army  blue,  army  blue,  we'll  don  the  army  blue, 
We'll  bid  farewell  to  cadet  gray  and  don  the  army  blue. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  191 

Addresses  to  the  Graduating  Class  of  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  West 
Point,  N.  T.,  June  \Uh,  1877.  By  Professor  C.  O.  Thompson, 
Major- General  Winfield  S.  Hancock,  Honorable  George 
W.  McCrart,  Secretary  of  War,  Major-General  John  M. 
Schofield,  Superintendent  TJ.  S.  Military  Academy. 

ADDRESS  BY  PROFESSOR  C.    0.    THOMPSON, 

President  of  the  Board  of  Visitors. 

Young  Gentlemen  of  the  Graduating  Class  :  The  courtesy 
of  your  admirable  Superintendent  forbids  a  possible  breach  in  an 
ancient  custom,  and  lays  upon  me,  as  the  representative,  for  the  mo- 
ment, of  the  Board  of  Visitors,  the  pleasant  duty  of  tendering  to  you 
their  congratulations  on  the  close  of  your  academic  career,  and  your 
auspicious  future. 

The  people  of  this  country  have  a  heavy  stake  in  the  prosperity 
of  this  institution.  They  recognize  it  as  the  very  fountain  of  their 
security  in  war,  and  the  origin  of  some  of  their  best  methods  of  edu- 
cation. And  upon  education  in  colleges  and  common  schools  the 
pillars  of  the  State  assuredly  rest. 

To  participants  and  to  bystanders,  this  ceremony  of  graduation  is 
as  interesting  and  as  exciting  as  if  this  were  the  first,  instead  of  the 
seventy-fifth  occurrence.  Every  such  occasion  is  clothed  with  the 
splendor  of  perpetual  youth.  The  secret  of  your  future  success  lies 
in  the  impossibility  of  your  entering  into  the  experience  of  your  pre- 
decessors. Every  man's  life  begins  with  the  rising  sun.  The  world 
would  soon  become  a  frozen  waste  but  for  the  inextinguishable  ardor 
of  youth,  which  believes  success  still  to  be  possible  where  every 
attempt  has  failed. 

That  courage  which  avoids  rashness  by  the  restraints  of  knowl- 
edge, and  dishonor  by  the  fear  of  God,  is  the  best  hope  of  the  world. 

History  is  not  life,  but  its  reflection. 

The  great  armies  of  modern  times  which  have  won  immortal  vic- 
tories have  been  composed  of  young  men  who  have  turned  into  historic 
acts  the  strategy  of  experienced  commanders. 

To  bystanders,  for  the  same  and  other  reasons,  the  occasion  is 
profoundly  interesting. 

For  educated  men  who  are  true  to  honor  and  to  righteousness,  the 
world  anxiously  waits  ;  but  an  educated  man  who  is  false,  the  world 
has  good  reason  to  dread.  The  best  thing  that  can  be  said  of  this 
Academy,  with  its  long  roll  of  heroes  in  war  and  in  peace,  is,  that 


192  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

every  year  the  conviction  increases  among  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  that  its  graduates  are  men  who  will  maintain,  at  all  hazards, 
the  simple  virtues  of  a  robust  manhood — like  Chaucer's  young 
Knight,  courteous,  lowly,  and  serviceable. 

I  welcome  you,  therefore,  to  the  hardships  and  perils  of  a  soldier's 
life  in  a  time  of  peace.  The  noise  and  the  necessities  of  war  drive 
men  in  upon  themselves  and  keep  their  faculties  awake  and  alert ; 
but  the  seductive  influence  of  peace,  when  a  soldier  must  spend  his 
time  in  preparation  for  the  duties  of  his  profession  rather  than  in 
their  practice,  this  is  indeed  a  peril  to  which  the  horrors  of  warfare 
are  subordinate.  It  is  so  much  easier  for  men  to  fight  other  men  than 
themselves.  So  much  easier  to  help  govern  other  men  than  to 
wholly  govern  themselves. 

But,  young  gentlemen,  as  we  have  listened  to  your  examination, 
shared  in  your  festivities,  and  enjoyed  personal  acquaintance  with 
you,  we  strongly  hope  for  you  every  thing  lovely,  honorable,  and  of 
good  report. 

You  who  have  chosen  the  sword,  may  be  helped  in  some  trying 
hour  of  your  coming  lives  by  recalling  the  lesson  which  is  concealed 
in  a  legend  of  English  history.  It  is  the  old  lesson  of  the  advantage 
of  knowledge  over  its  more  showy  counterfeits,  and  guards  against 
one  of  the  perils  of  our  American  society. 

A  man  losing  his  way  on  a  hillside,  strayed  into  a  chamber  full  of 
enchanted  knights,  each  lying  motionless,  in  complete  armor,  with 
his  horse  standing  motionless  beside  him.  On  a  rock  near  the 
entrance  lay  a  sword  and  a  horn,  and  the  intruder  was  told  that  he 
must  choose  between  these,  if  he  would  lead  the  army.  He  chose 
the  horn,  and  blew  a  loud  blast ;  whereupon  the  knights  and  their 
horses  vanished  in  a  whirlwind,  and  their  visitor  was  blown  back 
into  common  air,  these  words  sounding  after  him  upon  the  wind  : 

"  Cursed  be  the  coward,  that  ever  he  was  born, 
Who  did  not  draw  the  sword  before  he  blew  the  horn." 

Young  gentlemen,  the  Board  of  Visitors  can  have  no  better  wish 
for  our  common  country  than  that  your  future  will  fulfil  the  promise 
of  the  present. 

ADDRESS  BY  MAJOR-GENERAL   W.   S.   HANCOCK. 

To  me  has  been  assigned  the  pleasant  duty  of  welcoming  into 
the  service  as  commissioned  officers,  the  Graduates  of  the  Military 
Academy  of  to-day. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  193 

Although  much  time  has  elapsed  since  my  graduation  here,  and 
by  contact  with  the  rugged  cares  of  life  some  of  the  sharp  edges  of 
recollection  may  have  become  dulled,  yet  I  have  not  lived  long 
enough  to  have  forgotten  the  joy  of  that  bright  period.  You  only 
experience  it  to-day  as  I  have  felt  it  before  you. 

I  have  had  some  experience  of  life  since,  and  it  might  be  worth 
something  to  you  were  I  to  relate  it.  But  youth  is  self-confident  and 
impatient,  and  you  may  at  present  doubt  the  wisdom  of  listening  to 
sermons  which  you  can  learn  at  a  later  day. 

You  each  feel  that  you  have  the  world  in  a  sling,  and  that  it 
would  be  wearisome  to  listen  to  the  croakings  of  the  past,  and  espe- 
cially from  those  into  whose  shoes  you  soon  expect  to  step.  That  is 
the  rule  of  life.  The  child  growing  into  manhood,  believes  that  its 
judgment  is  better  than  the  knowledge  of  its  parents  ;  and  yet  if  that 
experience  was  duly  considered,  and  its  unselfish  purposes  believed 
in,  many  shoals  would  be  avoided,  otherwise  certain  to  be  met  with 
in  the  journey  of  life,  by  the  inexperienced  but  confident  navigator. 

You  should  not  forget  that  there  were  as  bright  intellects,  and  men 
who  possessed  equal  elements  of  greatness  in  past  generations  as  in 
this,  and  that  deeds  have  been  performed  in  earlier  times  which,  at 
best,  the  men  of  the  present  day  can  only  hope  to  rival.  Why  then 
should  we  not  profit  by  the  experiences  of  the  past  ;  and  as  our  lives 
are  shot  at  best,  instead  of  following  the  ruts  of  our  predecessors, 
start  on  the  road  of  life  where  they  left  off,  and  not  continue  to 
repeat  their  failures  ?  I  cannot  say  why,  unless  it  proceeds  from 
the  natural  buoyancy  of  youth,  self-confidence  in  its  ability  to  over- 
come all  obstacles,  and  to  carve  out  futures  more  dazzling  than  any 
successes  of  the  past.  In  this  there  is  a  problem  for  you  to  solve. 
Yet  I  may  do  well  by  acknowledging  to  you,  to-day,  that  after  an 
active  military  life  of  no  mean  duration,  soldiers  of  my  length  of  ser- 
vice feel  convinced  that  they  might  have  learned  wisdom  by  listen- 
ing to  the  experience  of  those  who  preceded  them.  Had  they  been 
prepared  to  assume  that  experience  as  a  fact  at  starting,  and  made 
departures  from  it,  instead  of  disregarding  it,  in  the  idea  that  there 
was  nothing  worthy  of  note  to  be  learned  from  a  study  of  the  past,  it 
would  be  safe  to  assume  that  they  would  have  made  greater  advances 
in  their  day. 

Were  I  to  give  you  my  views  in  extenso,  applicable  to  the  occa- 
sion, I  could  only  repeat  what  has  been  well  and  vigorously  said  here 
by  distinguished  persons  in  the  past,  in  your  hearing,  on  occasions  of 
the  graduation  of  older  classes  than  your  own. 


194  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

You  are  impatient,  doubtless,  as  I  was  in  your  time,  and  if  you 
have  done  as  my  class  did  before  you,  you  have  already  thrown  your 
books  away,  and  only  await  the  moment  of  the  conclusion  of  these 
ceremonies  to  don  the  garb  of  the  officer  or  the  civilian.  The  shell 
of  the  cadet  is  too  contracted  to  contain  your  impatient  spirits. 
Nevertheless,  if  you  will  listen  but  for  a  few  minutes  to  the  relation 
of  an  old  soldier,  I  will  repeat  of  the  lessons  of  experience  a  few  of 
those  most  worthy  of  your  consideration. 

There  is  but  one  comrade  of  my  class  remaining  in  active  service 
to-day,  and  I  think  I  might  as  truly  have  said  the  same  ten  years 
ago. 

In  the  next  thirty  years,  those  of  you  who  live  will  see  that  your 
numbers  have  become  sensibly  reduced,  if  not  in  similar  proportion. 

Some  will  have  studied,  have  kept  up  with  the  times,  been  ready 
for  service  at  the  hour  of  their  country's  call,  been  prepared  to 
accomplish  the  purposes  for  which  their  education  was  given  to 
them. 

Some  will  have  sought  the  active  life  of  the  frontiers,  and  been 
also  ready  to  perform  their  part  in  the  hour  of  danger. 

A  few  will  have  seized  the  passing  honors. 

It  may  have  depended  much  upon  opportunity  among  those  who 
were  well  equipped  for  the  occasion,  who  gained  the  greatest  distinc- 
tion ;  but  it  cannot  for  a  moment  be  doubted  that  the  roll  of  honor 
in  the  future  of  this  class  will  never  again  stand  as  it  stands  to-day. 

It  will  be  a  struggle  of  life  to  determine  who  among  you  will  keep 
their  standing  in  the  contest  for  future  honors  and  distinctions. 

You  who  have  been  the  better  students  here,  and  possessed  the 
greater  natural  qualities,  have  a  start  in  the  race  ;  but  industry,  study, 
perseverance,  and  other  qualities  will  continue  to  be  important  factors 
in  the  future,  as  they  have  been  in  the  past. 

Through  continuous  mental,  moral,  and  physical  development, 
with  progress  in  the  direction  of  your  profession  and  devotion  to 
duty,  lies  the  road  to  military  glory  ;  and  it  may  readily  come  to  pass 
that  "  the  race  will  not  be  to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong," 
as  you  regard  your  classmates  to-day. 

It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that  great  leaders  are  born. 

A  rare  combination  of  natural  qualities  causes  men  to  develop 
greatness.  Education  and  training  make  them  greater  ;  neverthe- 
less, men  with  fewer  natural  qualities  often  succeed,  with  education 
and  training,  when  those  more  richly j  endowed  fail  to  reach  the 


THE   COLOEED   CADET   AT  WEST  POINT.  195 

higher  places,  and  you  have  doubtless  witnessed  that  in  your  experi- 
ence here. 

A  man  in  a  great  place  in  modern  times  is  not  respectable  without 
education.  That  man  must  be  a  God  to  command  modern  armies 
successfully  without  it ;  yet  war  is  a  great  school ;  men  learn  quickly 
by  experience,  and  in  long  wars  there  will  be  found  men  of  natural 
abilities  who  will  appear  at  the  front.  It  will  be  found,  however,  in 
the  long  run,  that  the  man  who  has  prepared  himself  to  make  the 
best  use  of  his  natural  talents  will  win  in  the  race,  if  he  has  the 
opportunity,  while  others  of  equal  or  greater  natural  parts  may  fail 
from  lack  of  that  mental  and  moral  training  necessary  to  win  the 
respect  of  those  they  command. 

Towards  the  close  of  our  civil  war,  men  came  to  the  front  rank 
who  entered  the  service  as  privates.  They  were  men  of  strong  natu- 
ral qualities.  How  far  the  best  of  them  would  have  proceeded  had 
the  war  continued,  cannot  be  told  ;  but  it  may  be  safely  assumed 
that  if  they  possessed  the  moral  qualities  and  the  education  neces- 
sary to  command  the  respect  of  the  armies  with  which  they  were 
associated,  they  would  have  won  the  highest  honors  ;  and  yet  our 
war  lasted  but  four  years. 

Some  of  them  had  the  moral  qualities,  some  the  education  ;  and  I 
have  known  of  tbose  men  who  thus  came  forward,  some  who  would 
certainly  have  reached  the  highest  places  in  a  long  race,  had  they  had 
the  training  given  to  you. 

"War  gives  numerous  opportunities  for  distinction,  and  especially 
to  those  who  in  peace  have  demonstrated  that  they  would  be  availa- 
ble in  war  ;  and  soldiers  can  win  distinction  in  both  peace  and  war  if 
they  will  but  seize  their  opportunities. 

"  There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men  which,  taken  at  the  flood, 
leads  on  to  victory." 

Great  responsibilities  in  time  of  danger  are  not  given  to  the  igno- 
rant, the  slothful,  or  to  those  who  have  impaired  tbeir  powers  of 
mind  or  body  by  the  indulgences  of  life.  In  times  of  danger  favor- 
ites are  discarded.  When  work  is  to  be  done,  deeds  to  be  performed, 
men  of  action  have  their  opportunities  and  fail  not  to  seize  them.  It 
is  the  interest  of  commanders  that  such  men  should  be  selected  for 
service,  when  success  or  failure  may  follow,  according  to  the  wis- 
dom of  the  selection,  as  the  instrument  may  be — sharp  or  dull,  good 
or  bad. 

I  would  say  to  you,  lead  active,  temperate,  studious  lives,  develop 


196  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

your  physical  qualities  as  well  as  mental.  Regard  the  education 
acquired  here  as  but  rudimentary  ;  pursue  your  studies  in  the  line  of 
your  profession  and  as  well  in  such  other  branches  of  science  or  lan- 
guage as  may  best  accord  with  your  inclinations.  It  will  make  you 
greater  in  your  profession  and  cause  you  to  be  independent  of  it. 
The  latter  is  but  prudent  in  these  practical  days. 

Study  to  lead  honorable,  useful,  and  respected  lives.  Even  if  no 
opportunity  presents  for  martial  glory  you  will  not  fail  to  find  your 
reward. 

Avoid  the  rocks  of  dissipation,  of  gambling,  of  debt ;  lead  those 
manly  lives  which  will  always  find  you  in  health  in  mind  and  body, 
free  from  entanglements  of  whatever  kind,  and  you  may  be  assured 
you  will  find  your  opportunities  for  great  services,  when  otherwise 
you  would  have  been  overlooked  or  passed  by.  Such  men  are 
known  and  appreciated  in  every  army  and  out  of  it. 

Knowledge  derived  from  books  may  bring  great  distinction  out- 
side of  the  field  of  war,  as  an  expert  in  the  lessons  of  the  military 
profession  and  in  others,  but  the  lessons  of  hard  service  are  salutary 
and  necessary  to  give  the  soldier  a  practical  understanding  of  the  world 
and  its  ways  as  he  will  encounter  them  in  war.  I  would  advise  you 
to  go  when  young  to  the  plains — to  the  wilderness — seek  active  ser- 
vice there,  put  off  the  days  of  indulgence  and  of  ease.  Those  should 
follow  years. 

Take  with  you  to  the  frontier  your  dog,  your  rod  and  gun  ;  the 
pursuit  of  a  life  in  the  open  air  with  such  adjuncts  will  go  far  to  give 
you  health  and  the  vigor  to  meet  the  demands  to  be  made  upon  you 
in  trying  campaigns,  and  to  enable  you  to  establish  the  physical  con- 
dition necessary  to  maintain  a  life  of  vigor  such  as  a  soldier  requires. 
You  will  by  these  means,  too,  avoid  many  of  the  temptations  incident 
to  an  idle  life — all  calculated  to  win  you  from  your  usef ulness  in  the 
future,  and  by  no  means  leave  your  books  behind  you. 

When  I  graduated,  General  Scott,  thinking  possibly  to  do  me  a 
service,  asked  me  to  what  regiment  I  desired  to  be  assigned  ;  I 
replied,  to  the  regiment  stationed  at  the  most  western  post  in  the 
United  States.  I  was  sent  to  the  Indian  Territory  of  to-day.  We 
had  not  then  acquired  California  or  New  Mexico,  and  our  western 
boundary  north  of  Texas  was  the  one  hundredth  degree  of  longitude. 

I  know  that  that  early  frontier  service  and  the  opportunities  for 
healthy  and  vigorous  out-door  exercise  were  of  great  advantage  to 
me  in  many  ways,  and  would  have  been  more  so  had  I  followed  the 
advice  in  reference  to  study  that  I  have  given  to  you. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  197 

There  are  many  "  extreme  western"  posts  to-day.  It  is  difficult 
to  say  which  is  the  most  western  in  the  sense  of  that  day,  when  the 
Indian  frontiers  did  not  as  now,  lie  in  the  circumference  of  an  inner 
circle  ;  but  the  Yellowstone  will  serve  your  purpose  well.  And  if 
any  of  you  wish  to  seek  that  service  your  taste  will  not  be  difficult  to 
gratify,  for  the  hardest  lessons  will  be  certain  to  be  avoided  by  many. 
There  will  be  those  who  in  the  days  of  youth  will  seek  the  softer 
places.  They  may  have  their  appropriate  duties  there  and  do  their 
parts  well,  but  it  majr  be  considered  a  safe  maxim  that  the  indulgence 
of  the  present  will  have  to  be  paid  for  in  the  future  A  man  may  not 
acquire  greatness  by  pursuing  religiously  the  course  I  have  indicated 
as  the  best,  but  it  will  be  safe  to  assume  that  when  the  roll  of  honor 
of  your  class  is  called  after  a  length  of  service  equal  to  mine,  but- 
few,  if  any  of  your  number,  will  have  done  their  part  well  in  public 
estimation  save  of  those  who  shall  have  pretty  closely  followed  these 
safe  rules  of  life. 

Gentlemen,  I  bid  you  welcome. 

ADDRESS  BY  HOK    G.    W.   McCBART, 
Secretary  of  War. 

Gentlemen  of  the  Graduating  Class  :  Although  not  a  part 
of  the  programme  arranged  for  these  exercises,  I  cannot  refuse  to 
say  a  word  by  way  of  greeting,  and  I  would  make  it  as  hearty  and 
earnest  as  possible  to  you,  gentlemen,  one  and  all,  upon  this  occasion, 
so  interesting  to  you  as  well  as  to  the  entire  army,  and  to  the  people 
of  the  whole  country. 

There  are  others  here  who  will  speak  to  you  as  soldiers,  to  whom 
you  will  listen,  and  from  whom  you  will  receive  all  counsel  and 
admonition  as  coming  from  men  who  have  distinguished  themselves 
in  the  command  of  the  greatest  armies  the  world  has  ever  seen, 
and  by  the  achievement  of  some  of  the  grandest  victories  recorded 
upon  the  pages  of  history. 

I  would  speak  to  you  as  a  citizen  ;  and  as  such,  I  desire  to  assure 
you  that  you  are  to-day  the  centre  of  a  general  interest  pervading 
every  part  of  our  entire  country.  It  is  not  the  army  alone  that  is 
interested  in  the  graduating  class  of  1877.  West  Point  Military 
Academy,  more  than  any  other  institution  in  the  land — far  more — 
is  a  national  institution — one  in  which  we  have  a  national  pride. 

It  is  contrary  to  the  policy  of  this  country  to  keep  in  time  of 


198  THE   COLORED   CADET   AT  WEST   POINT. 

peace  a  large  standing  army  We  have  adopted  what  I  think  is  a 
wiser  and  better  policy — that  of  educating  a  large  number  of  young 
men  in  the  science  of  arms,  so  that  they  may  be  ready  when  the  time 
of  danger  comes.  You  will  go  forth  from  this  occasion  with  your 
commissions  as  Second  Lieutenants  in  the  army  ;  but  I  see,  and  I 
know  that  the  country  sees,  that  if  war  should  come,  and  large 
armies  should  be  organized  and  marshalled,  we  have  here  seventy-six 
young  gentlemen,  any  one  of  whom  can  command  not  only  a  com- 
pany, but  a  brigade  ;  and  I  think  I  may  say  a  division,  or  an  army 
corps. 

The  experience  of  the  past  teaches  that  I  do  not  exaggerate  when 
I  say  this.  At  all  events,  such  is  the  theory  upon  which  oar  govern- 
ment proceeds,  and  it  is  expected  that  every  man  who  is  educated  in 
this  institution,  whether  he  remains  in  the  ranks  of  the  army  or  not, 
wherever  he  may  be  found  and  called  upon,  shall  come  and  draw 
his  sword  in  defence  of  his  country  and  her  flag. 

It  is  a  happy  coincidence  that  one  hundred  years  ago  to-day,  on 
the  14th  of  June,  1777,  the  Continental  Congress  passed  the  act  which 
fixed  our  national  emblem  as  the  stars  and  stripes.  It  is  a  happy 
coincidence  that  you  graduate  upon  the  anniversary  of  the  passage  of 
that  act — the  centennial  birthday  of  the  stars  and  stripes.  I  do  not 
know  that  it  will  add  any  thing  to  your  love  of  the  nag  and  of  your 
country.  I  doubt  whether  any  thing  would  add  to  that ;  but  I  refer 
to  this  coincidence  with  great  pleasure. 

Gentlemen  of  the  Graduating  Class  :  I  am  not  qualified  to  instruct 
you  in  your  duties  as  soldiers,  but  these  is  one  thing  I  may  say  to 
you,  because  it  ought  to  be  said  to  every  graduating  class,  and  to  all 
young  men  about  to  enter  upon  the  active  duties  of  life,  and  that  is, 
that  _the  profession  does  not  ennoble  the  man,  but  the  man  ennobles 
the  profession    Behind  the  soldier  is  the  man. 

Character,  young  men,  is  every  thing  ;  without  it,  your  education 
is  nothing  ;  without  it,  your  country  will  be  disappointed  in  you. 
Go  forth  into  life,  then,  firmly  resolved  to  be  true,  not  only  to  the 
flag  of  your  country,  not  only  to  the  institutions  of  the  land,  not 
only  to  the  Union  which  our  fathers  established,  and  which  the  blood 
of  our  countrymen  has  cemented,  but  to  be  true  to  yourselves  and 
the  principles  of  honor,  of  rectitude,  of  temperance,  of  virtue,  which 
have  always  characterized  the  great  and  successful  soldier,  and  must 
always  characterize  such  a  soldier  in  the  future. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  199 

ADDRESS  BY  MAJOR-GENERAL   JOHN  M.   SCHOFIELD, 

Superintendent  TT.  S.  Military  Academy. 

Gentlemen  of  the  Graduates g  Class  :  The  agreeable  duty 
now  devolves  upon  me  of  delivering  to  you  the  diplomas  which  the 
Academic  Board  have  awarded  you  as  Graduates  of  the  Military 
Academy. 

These  diplomas  you  have  fairly  won  by  your  ability,  your  indus- 
try, and  your  obedience  to  discipline.  You  receive  them,  not  as 
favors  from  any  body,  but  as  the  just  and  lawful  reward  of  honest 
and  persistent  effort. 

You  have  merited,  and  are  about  to  receive,  the  highest  honors 
attainable  by  young  men  in  our  country.  You  have  won  these  hon- 
ors by  hard  work  and  patient  endurance,  and  you  are  thus  prepared 
to  prize  them  highly.  Unless  thus  fairly  won,  honors,  like  riches,  are 
of  little  value. 

As  you  learn,  with  advancing  years,  to  more  fully  appreciate  the 
value  in  life  of  the  habits  you  have  acquired  of  self-reliance,  long- 
sustained  effort,  obedience  to  discipline,  and  respect  for  lawful 
authority,  a  value  greater  even  than  that  of  the  scientific  knowledge 
you  have  gained,  you  will  more  and  more  highly  prize  the  just 
reward  which  you  are  to-day  found  worthy  to  receive. 

You  are  now  prepared  to  enter  upon  an  honorable  career  in  the 
great  arena  of  the  world.  The  West  Point  Diploma  has  ever  been  a 
passport  to  public  respect,  and  to  the  confidence  of  government. 
But  such  respect  and  confidence  imply  corresponding  responsibilities. 
The  honor  of  West  Point  and  that  of  the  army  are  now  in  your  keep- 
ing ;  and  your  country  is  entitled  to  the  best  services,  intellectual, 
moral,  and  physical,  which  it  may  be  in  your  power  to  render. 

That  you  may  render  such  services,  do  not  fail  to  pursue  your 
scientific  studies,  that  you  may  know  the  laws  of  nature,  and  make 
her  forces  subservient  to  the  public  welfare.  Study  carefully  the 
history,  institutions,  and  laws  of  your  country,  that  you  may  be  able 
to  see  and  to  defend  what  is  lawful  and  right  in  every  emergency. 
Study  not  only  the  details  of  your  profession,  but  the  highest  princi- 
ples of  the  art  of  war.  You  may  one  day  be  called  to  the  highest 
responsibility.  And,  above  all,  be  governed  in  all  things  by  those 
great  moral  principles  which  have  been  the  guide  of  great  and  good 
men  in  all  ages  and  in  all  countries.  Without  such  guide  the  great- 
est genius  can  do  only  evil  to  mankind. 


200  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  "WEST   POINT. 

One  of  your  number,  under  temptation  which  has  sometimes 
proved  too  great  for  even  much  older  soldiers,  committed  a  breach  of 
discipline  for  which  he  was  suspended.  The  Honorable  Secretary  of 
War  has  been  kindly  pleased  to  remit  the  penalty,  so  that  your  class- 
mate may  take  his  place  among  you  according  to  his  academic  rank. 

You  have  to  regret  the  absence  of  one  of  your  number,  who  has 
been  prevented  by  extreme  illness  from  pursuing  the  studies  of  the 
last  year.  But  I  am  glad  to  say  that  Mr.  Barnett  has  so  far  recov- 
ered that  he  will  be  able  to  return  to  the  Academy,  and  take  his 
place  in  the  next  class. 

Another  member  of  the  class  has  been  called  away  by  the  death 
of  his  father,  but  he  had  passed  his  examination,  and  will  graduate 
with  you.     His  diploma  will  be  sent  to  him. 

With  the  single  exception,  then,  above  mentioned,  I  have  the  sat- 
isfaction of  informing  you  that  you  graduate  with  the  ranks  of  your 
class  unbroken. 

We  take  leave  of  you,  gentlemen,  not  only  with  hope,  but  with 
full  confidence  that  you  will  acquit  yourselves  well  in  the  honorable 
career  now  before  you.  We  give  you  our  parental  blessing,  with 
fervent  wishes  for  your  prosperity,  happiness,  and  honor. 

Loud  applause  greeted  the  close  of  the  general's  speech,  and  the 
graduates  were  then  called  up  one  by  one  and  their  diplomas  deliv- 
ered to  them.  The  first  to  step  forward  was  Mr.  William  M.  Black, 
of  Lancaster,  Penn.,  whose  career  at  the  Academy  has  been  remarka- 
ble. He  has  stood  at  the  head  of  his  class  for  the  whole  four  years, 
actually  distancing  all  competitors.  He  is  a  young  man  of  signal 
ability,  won  his  appointment  in  a  competitive  examination,  and  has 
borne  himself  with  singular  modesty  and  good  sense.  During  the 
past  year  he  has  occupied  the  position  of  Adjutant  of  the  Corps  of 
Cadets — the  highest  post  which  can  be  held.  General  Sherman  shook 
hands  with  the  father  of  the  young  cadet — a  grand-looking  old  gen- 
tleman, and  very  proud  of  his  son,  as  he  has  a  right  to  be — and 
warmly  congratulated  him  on  the  brilliant  career  which  was  before 
the  young  man.  The  next  on  the  list  was  Mr.  Walter  F.  Fisk. 
When  Mr.  Flipper,  the  colored  cadet,  stepped  forward,  and  received 
the  reward  of  four  years  of  as  hard  work  and  unflinching  courage 
and  perseverance  as  any  young  man  could  be  called  upon  to  go 
through,  the  crowd  of  spectators  gave  him  a  round  of  hearty  ap- 
plause. He  deserves  it.  Any  one  who  knows  how  quietly  and 
bravely  this  young  man— the  first  of  his  despised  race  to  graduate  at 


THE   COLOKED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  201 

West  Point — has  borne  the  difficulties  of  his  position  ;  how  for  four 
years  he  has  had  to  stand  apart  from  his  classmates  as  one  with  them 
but  not  of  them  ;  and  to  all  the  severe  work  of  academic  official  life 
has  had  added  the  yet  more  severe  mental  strain  which  bearing  up 
against  a  cruel  social  ostracism  puts  on  any  man  ;  and  knowing  that 
he  has  done  this  without  getting  soured,  or  losing  courage  for  a  day 
— anyone,  I  say,  who  knows  all  this  would  be  inclined  to  say  that  the 
young  man  deserved  to  be  well  taken  care  of  by  the  government  he 
is  bound  to  serve.  Everybody  here  who  has  watched  his  course 
speaks  in  terms  of  admiration  of  the  unflinching  courage  he  has 
shown.  No  cadet  will  go  away  with  heartier  wishes  for  his  future 
welfare. 

When  the  last  of  the  diplomas  had  been  given,  the  line  reformed, 
the  band  struck  up  a  lively  tune,  the  cadets  marched  to  the  front  of 
the  barracks,  and  there  Cadet  Black,  the  Adjutant,  read  the  orders 
of  the  day,  they  being  the  standing  of  the  students  in  their  various 
classes,  the  list  of  new  officers,  etc.  This  occupied  some  time,  and 
at  its  conclusion  Colonel  Neil,  Commandant  of  Cadets,  spoke  a  few 
kind  words  to  the  First  Class,  wished  them  all  success  in  life,  and 
then  formally  dismissed  them. 

At  the  close  of  the  addresses  the  Superintendent  of  the  Academy 
delivered  the  diplomas  to  the  following  cadets,  members  of  the  Grad- 
uating Class.     The  names  are  alphabetically  arranged  : 

Amnion  A.  Augur,  Charles  J.  Crane, 

William  H.  Baldwin,  Heber  M.  Creel, 

Thomas  H.  Barry,  Matthias  W.  Day, 

George  W.  Baxter,  Millard  F.  Egglestori, 

John  Baxter,  Jr.,  Kobert  T.  Emmet, 

John  Bigelow,  Jr.,  Calvin  Esterly, 

William  M.  Black,  Walter  L.  Fisk, 

Francis  P.  Blair,  Henry  0.  Flipper, 

Augustus  P.  Blocksom,  Fred.  W.  Foster, 

Charles  A.  Bradley,  Daniel  A.  Frederick, 

John  J.  BreretoD,  F.  Halverson  French, 

Oscar  J.  Brown,  Jacob  G.  Galbraith, 

William  C.  Brown,  William  W.  Galbraith, 

Ben.  I.  Butler,  Charles  B.  Gatewood, 

George  N.  Chase,  Edwin  F.  Glenn, 

Edward  Chynoweth,  Henry  J.  Goldman, 

Wallis  0.  Clark,  William  B.  Gordon, 


202 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 


John  F.  Guilfoyle, 
Jobn  J.  Haden, 
Harry  T.  Hammond, 
John  F.  C.  Hegewald, 
Curtis  B.  Hoppin, 
George  K.  Hunter, 
James  B.  Jackson, 
Henry  Kirby, 
Samuel  H.  Loder, 
James  A.  Maney, 
James  D.  Mann, 
Frederick  Marsh, 
Medad  C.  Martin, 
Solon  F.  Massey, 
Ariosto  McCrimmon, 
David  N.  McDonald, 
John  McMartin, 
Stephen  C.  Mills, 
Cunlirre  H.  Murray, 
James  V.  S.  Paddock, 
Theophilus  Parker, 


Alexander  M.  Patch, 
Francis  J.  Patten, 
Thomas  C.  Patterson, 
John  H.  Philbrick, 
Edward  H.  Plammer, 
David  Price,  Jr., 
Robert  D.  Read,  Jr., 
Solomon  W.  Roessler, 
Robert  E.  Safford, 
James  C.  Shofner, 
Adam  Slaker, 
Howard  A.  Springett, 
Robert  R.  Stevens, 
Monroe  P.  Thorir.gton, 
Albert  Todd, 
Samuel  P.  Wayman, 
John  V.  White, 
Wilber  E.  Wilder, 
Richard  H.  Wilson, 
William  T.  Wood, 
Charles  G.  Woodward. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

FURLOUGH. 

(~\F  all  privileges  or  sources  of  pleasure  which 
^-^  tend  to  remove  the  monotony  of  military  life, 
there  are  none  to  which  the  strip] ing  soldier  looks 
forward  with  more  delight  than  furlough.  Indeed 
it  is  hard  to  say  which  is  the  stronger  emotion  that 
we  experience  when  we  first  receive  information  of 
our  appointment  to  a  cadetship,  or  that  which  comes 
upon  us  when  we  are  apprised  that  a  furlough  has 
been  granted  us.  Possibly  the  latter  is  the  stronger 
feeling.  It  is  so  with  some,  with  those,  at  least, 
who  received  the  former  announcement  with  indif- 
ference, as  many  do,  accepting  it  solely  to  please  a 
mother,  or  father,  or  other  friend  or  relative.  With 
whatever  feeling,  or  for  whatever  reason  the  appoint- 
ment may  have  been  accepted,  it  is  certain  that  all 
are  equally  anxious  to  take  advantage  of  their  fur- 
lough when  the  time  comes.  This  is  made  evident 
in  a  multitude  of  ways. 

A  furlough  is  granted  to  those  only  who  have 
been  present  at  two  annual  examinations  at  least, 
and  by  and  with  the  consent  of  a  parent  or  guardian 
if  a  minor. 

Immediately  after  J anuary  next  preceding  their 
second  annual  examination,  the  furloughmen,  as 
they  are  called,  have  class  meetings,  or  rather  fur- 
lough meetings,  to  celebrate  the  "  good  time  com- 


204:  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

ing."  They  hold  them  almost  weekly,  and  they  are 
devoted  to  music,  jesting,  story-telling,  and  to  gen- 
eral jollification.  It  can  be  well  imagined  with  what 
joy  a  cadet  looks  forward  to  his  furlough.  It  is  the 
only  interruption  in  the  monotony  of  his  Academy 
life,  and  it  is  to  him  for  that  very  reason  extremely 
important.  During  all  this  time,  and  even  long  be- 
fore January,  the  furloughmen  are  accustomed  to 
record  the  state  of  affairs  respecting  their  furlough 
by  covering  every  available  substance  that  will  bear 
a  pencil  or  chalk  mark  with  numerous  inscriptions, 
giving  the  observer  some  such  information  as  this  : 
"100  days  to  furlough,"  "75  days  to  furlough," 
"  only  two  months  before  furlough,"  and  thus  even 
to  the  day  before  they  actually  leave. 

The  crowning  moment  of  all  is  the  moment  when 
the  order  granting  furloughs  is  published. 

I  am  sure  my  happiest  moment  at  West  Point, 
save  when  I  grasped  my  "sheepskin"  for  the  first 
time,  was  when  I  heard  my  name  read  in  the  list. 
It  was  a  most  joyous  announcement.  To  get  away 
from  West  Point,  to  get  out  among  friends  who  were 
not  ashamed  nor  afraid  to  be  friends,  could  not  be 
other  than  gratifying.  It  was  almost  like  beginning 
a  new  life,  a  new  career,  and  as  I  looked  back  from 
the  deck  of  the  little  ferryboat  my  feelings  were  far 
different  from  what  they  were  two  years  before. 

My  furlough  was  something  more  than  an  inter- 
ruption of  my  ordinary  mode  of  life  for  the  two 
years  previous.  It  was  a  complete  change  from  a 
life  of  isolation  to  one  precisely  opposite.  And  of 
course  I  enjoyed  it  the  more  on  that  account. 

The  granting  of  furloughs  is  entirely  discretion- 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  205 

ary  with,  the  Superintendent.  It  may  be  denied 
altogether,  but  usually  is  not,  except  as  punishment 
for  some  grave  offence. 

It  is  customary  to  detain  for  one,  two,  three,  or 
even  more  days  those  who  have  demerits  exceeding 
a  given  number  for  a  given  time.  The  length  of  their 
leave  is  therefore  shortened  by  just  so  many  days. 

There  are  a  number  of  customs  observed  by  the 
cadets  which  I  shall  describe  here. 

To  disregard  these  customs  is  to  show — at  least  it 
is  so  construed — a  want  of  pride.  To  say  that  this 
or  that  "  is  customary,"  is  quite  sufficient  to  warrant 
its  conception  and  execution.  Among  these  customs 
the  following  may  be  mentioned : 

To  begin  with  the  fourth  class.  Immediately  after 
their  first  semi-annual  examination  the  class  adopts 
a  class  crest  or  motto,  which  appears  on  all  their  sta- 
tionery, and  often  on  many  other  things.  To  have 
class  stationary  is  a  custom  that  is  never  overlooked. 
Each  class  chooses  its  own  design,  which  usually 
bears  the  year  in  which  the  class  will  graduate. 

Class  stationary  is  used  throughout  the  period  of 
one's  cadetship. 

In  the  early  spring,  the  first,  second,  and  third 
classes  elect  hop  managers,  each  class  choosing  a 
given  number.  This  is  preparatory  to  the  hop  given 
by  the  second  to  the  graduating  class  as  a  farewell 
token.     This  custom  is  rigorously  kept  up. 

Next  to  these  are  customs  peculiar  to  the  first 
class.  They  are  never  infringed  upon  by  other 
classes,  nor  disregarded  even  by  the  first  class. 

First,  prior  to  graduation  it  is  an  invariable  cus- 
tom of  the  graduating  class  to  adopt  and  procure, 


206  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

each  of  them,  a  class  ring.  This  usually  bears  the 
year  of  graduation,  the  letters  U.  S.  M.  A.,  or  some 
other  military  character. 

This  ring  is  the  signet  that  binds  the  class  to  their 
Alma  Mater,  and  to  each  other.  It  is  to  be  in  after 
years  the  souvenir  that  is  to  recall  one's  cadet  life, 
and  indeed  every  thing  connected  with  a  happy  and 
yet  dreary  part  of  one's  career. 

The  class  album  also  is  intended  for  the  same 
purpose.  It  contains  the  ' '  smiling  shadows' '  of  class- 
mates, comrades,  and  scenes  perhaps  never  more  to  be 
visited  or  seen  after  parting  at  graduation.  Oh ! 
what  a  feeling  of  sadness,  of  weariness  of  life  even, 
must  come  upon  him  who  in  after  years  opens  his 
album  upon  those  handsome  young  faces,  and  there 
silently  compares  their  then  lives  with  what  succeed- 
ing years  have  revealed  !  Who  does  not,  would  not 
grieve  to  recall  the  sad  tidings  that  have  come  anon 
and  filled  one's  heart  and  being  with  portentous 
gloom  \  This,  perhaps  a  chum,  an  especial  favorite, 
or  at  any  rate  a  classmate,  has  fallen  under  a  rude 
savage  warfare  while  battling  for  humanity,  without 
the  advantages  or  the  glory  of  civilized  war,  but  sim- 
ply with  the  consciousness  of  duty  properly  done. 
That  one,  perchance,  has  fallen  bravely,  dutifully, 
without  a  murmur  of  regret,  and  this  one,  alas  ! 
where  is  he  %  Has  he,  too,  perished,  or  does  he  yet 
remember  our  gladsome  frolics  at  our  beloved  Alma 
Mater.  My  mind  shudders,  shrinks  from  the  sweet 
and  yet  sad  anticipations  of  the  years  I  have  not  seen 
and  may  perhaps  never  see.  But  there  is  a  sweet- 
ness, a  fondness  that  makes  me  linger  longingly  upon 
the  thought  of  those  unborn  days. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

INCIDENT,    HUMOK,    ETC. 


TT  may  not  be  inappropriate  to  give  in  this  place  a 
few — as  many  as  I  can  recall — of  the  incidents, 
more  or  less  humorous,  in  which  I  myself  have  taken 
part  or  have  noticed  at  the  various  times  of  their 
occurrence.  First,  then,  an  adventure  on  "  Flirta- 
tion." 

During  the  encampment  of  1873 — I  think  it  was 
in  July — Smith  and  myself  had  the — for  us — rare 
enjoyment  of  a  visit  made  us  by  some  friends.  We 
had  taken  them  around  the  place  and  shown  and  ex- 
plained to  them  every  thing  of  interest.  We  at  length 
took  seats  on  "Flirtation,"  and  gave  ourselves  up  to 
pure  enjoyment  such  as  is  found  in  woman's  pres- 
ence only.  The  day  was  exceedingly  beautiful ;  all 
nature  seemed  loveliest  just  at  that  time,  and  our 
lone,  peculiar  life,  with  all  its  trials  and  cares,  was 
quite  forgotten.  We  chatted  merrily,  and  as  ever  in 
such  company  were  really  happy.  It  was  so  seldom 
we  had  visitors — and  even  then  they  were  mostly 
males — that  we  were  delighted  to  have  some  one 
with  whom  we  could  converse  on  other  topics  than 
official  ones  and  studies.  While  we  sat  there  not  a 
few  strangers,  visitors  also,  passed  us,  and  almost 
invariably  manifested  surprise  at  seeing  us. 

I  do  think  uncultivated  white  people  are  unap- 
proachable in  downright   rudeness,  and  yet,  alas  ! 


208  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

they  are  our  superiors.  Will  prejudice  ever  be  oblit- 
erated from  the  minds  of  the  people  ?  Will  man  ever 
cease  to  prejudge  his  fellow-being  for  color's  sake 
alone  ?    Grant,  O  merciful  God,  that  he  may  ! 

But  mi  fait !  Anon  a  cadet,  whose  perfectly 
fitting  uniform  of  matchless  gray  and  immaculate 
white  revealed  the  symmetry  of  his  form  in  all  its 
manly  beauty,  saunters  leisurely  by,  his  head  erect, 
shoulders  back,  step  quick  and  elastic,  and  those 
glorious  buttons  glittering  at  their  brilliant  points 
like  so  many  orbs  of  a  distant  stellar  world.  Next  a 
plebe  strolls  wearily  along,  his  drooping  shoulders, 
hanging  head,  and  careless  gait  bespeaking  the  need 
of  more  squad  drill.  Then  a  dozen  or  more  "pic- 
nicers,"  all  females,  laden  with  baskets,  boxes,  and 
other  et  ceteras,  laughing  and  playing,  unconscious 
of  our  proximity,  draw  near.  The  younger  ones  trip- 
ping playfully  in  front  catch  sight  of  us.  Instantly 
they  are  hushed,  and  with  hands  over  their  mouths 
retrace  their  steps  to  disclose  to  those  in  rear  their 
astounding  discovery.  In  a  few  moments  all  appear, 
and  silently  and  slowly  pass  by,  eyeing  us  as  if  we 
were  the  greatest  natural  wonder  in  existence.  They 
pass  on  till  out  of  sight,  face  about  and  ' '  continue 
the  motion,"  passing  back  and  forth  as  many  as  five 
times.  Wearied  at  length  of  this  performance,  Smith 
rose  and  said,  "  Come,  let's  end  this  farce,"  or  some- 
thing to  that  effect.  We  arose,  left  the  place,  and 
were  surprised  to  find  a  moment  after  that  they 
were  actually  following  us. 

The  "  Picnicers,"  as  they  are  called  in  the  corps, 
begin  their  excursions  early  in  May,  and  continue 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  209 

them  till  near  the  end  of  September.  They  manage 
to  arrive  at  West  Point  at  all  possible  honrs  of  the 
day,  and  stay  as  late  as  they  conveniently  can.  In 
May  and  September,  when  we  have  battalion  drills, 
they  are  a  great  nuisance,  a  great  annoyance  to  me 
especially.  The  vicinity  of  that  flank  of  the  bat- 
talion in  which  I  was,  was  where  they  "most  did 
congregate."  It  was  always  amusing,  though  most 
embarrassing,  to  see  them  pointing  me  out  to  each 
other,  and  to  hear  their  verbal  accompaniments, 
"  There  he  is,  the  first " — or  such — "man  from  the 
right' '  —  *  '  or  left. "  "  Who  ?"  "  The  colored  cadet. ' ' 
"Haven't  you  seen  him?  Here,  I'll  show  him  to 
you,"  and  so  on  ad  libitum. 

All    through    this     encampment    being    " 


young ;  a  novice  in  the  trade,"  I  seldom  took  ad- 
vantage of  Old  Guard  privileges,  or  any  other,  for 
the  reason  that  I  was  not  accustomed  to  such  bar- 
barous rudeness,  and  did  not  care  to  be  the  object  of 
it. 

It  has  always  been  a  wonder  to  me  why  people 
visiting  at  West  Point  should  gaze  at  me  so  persist- 
ently for  no  other  reason  than  curiosity.  What  there 
was  curious  or  uncommon  about  me  I  never  knew. 
I  was  not  better  formed,  nor  more  military  in  my 
bearing  than  all  the  other  cadets.  My  uniform  did 
not  fit  better,  was  not  of  better  material,  nor  did  it 
cost  more  than  that  of  the  others.  Yet  for  four 
years,  by  each  and  every  visitor  at  West  Point  who 
saw  me,  it  was  done.  I  know  not  why,  unless  it  was 
because  I  was  in  it. 


210  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

There  is  an  old  man  at  Highland  Falls,  N.  Y., 
who  is  permitted  to  peddle  newspapers  at  West 
Point.  He  comes  up  every  Sabbath,  and  all  are 
made  aware  of  his  presence  by  his  familiar  cry, 
"  Sunday  news  !  Sunday  news  !"  Indeed,  he  is 
generally  known  and  called  by  the  soubriquet,  "  Sun- 
day News." 

He  was  approaching  my  tent  one  Sunday  after- 
noon, but  was  stopped  by  a  cadet  who  called  out  to 
him  from  across  the  company  street,  "Don't  sell 
your  papers  to  them  niggers  I"  This  kind  advice 
was  not  heeded. 

This  and  subsequent  acts  of  a  totally  different 
character  lead  me  to  believe  that  there  is  not  so  much 
prejudice  in  the  corps  as  is  at  first  apparent.  A  gen- 
eral dislike  for  the  negro  had  doubtless  grown  up  in 
this  cadet's  mind  from  causes  which  are  known  to 
everybody  at  all  acquainted  with  affairs  at  West 
Point  about  that  time,  summer  of  1873.  On  several 
occasions  during  my  second  and  third  years  I  was  the 
grateful  recipient  of  several  kindnesses  at  the  hands 
of  this  same  cadet,  thus  proving  most  conclusively 
that  it  was  rather  a  cringing  disposition,  a  dread  of 
what  others  might  say,  or  this  dislike  of  the  negro 
which  I  have  mentioned,  that  caused  him  to  utter 
those  words,  and  not  a  prejudiced  dislike  of  "  them 
niggers,"  for  verily  I  had  won  his  esteem. 

Just  after  returning  from  this  encampment  to  our 
winter  quarters,  I  had  another  adventure  with  Smith, 
my  chum,  and  Williams,  which  cost  me  dearly. 

It  was  just  after  "  evening  call  to  quarters."  I 
knew  Smith  and  Williams  were  in  our  room.     I  had 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  211 

been  out  for  some  purpose,  and  was  returning  when 
it  occurred  to  me  to  have  some  fun  at  their  expense. 
I  accordingly  walked  up  to  the  door — our  "  house" 
was  at  the  head  of  the  stairs  and  on  the  third  floor 
— and  knocked,  endeavoring  to  imitate  as  much  as 
possible  an  officer  inspecting.  They  sprang  to  their 
feet  instantly,  assumed  the  position  of  the  soldier, 
and  quietly  awaited  my  entrance.  I  entered  laugh- 
ing. They  resumed  their  seats  with  a  promise  to  re- 
pay me,  and  they  did,  for  alas!  I  was  "hived." 
Some  cadet  reported  me  for  "  imitating  a  tactical 
officer  inspecting."  For  this  I  was  required  to  walk 
three  tours  of  extra  guard  duty  on  three  consecutive 
Saturdays,  and  to  serve,  besides,  a  week's  confine- 
ment in  my  quarters.  The  "laugh"  was  thus,  of 
course,  turned  on  me. 

During  the  summer  of  '74,  in  my  "yearling 
camp,"  I  made  another  effort  at  amusement,  which 
was  as  complete  a  failure  as  the  attempt  with  Smith 
and  Williams.  I  had  been  reported  by  an  officer  for 
some  trifling  offence.  It  was  most  unexpected  to 
me,  and  least  of  all  from  this  particular  officer.  I 
considered  the  report  altogether  uncalled  for,  but 
was  careful  to  say  nothing  to  that  effect.  I  received 
for  the  offence  one  or  two  demerits.  A  short  while 
afterwards,  being  on  guard,  I  happened  to  be  posted 
near  his  tent.  Determined  on  a  bit  of  revenge,  and 
fun  too,  at  half -past  eleven  o'  clock  at  night  I  placed 
myself  near  his  tent,  and  called  off  in  the  loudest 

tone  I  could  command,  "  ISTo. ,  half -past  eleven 

o'clock,  and  all-1-l-l's  well-1-1 !"  It  woke  him.  He 
arose,  came  to  the  front  of  his  tent,  and  called  me 


212  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

back  to  him.  I  went,  and  he  ordered  me  to  call  the 
corporal.     I  did  so,     When  the  corporal  came  he 

told  him  to  "  report  the  sentinel  on  JNo. for 

calling  off  improperly."  If  I  mistake  not,  I  was 
also  reported  for  not  calling  off  at  12  p.j\i.  lond 
enough  to  be  heard  by  the  next  sentinel.  Thus  my 
bit  of  revenge  recoiled  twofold  upon  myself,  and  I 
soon  discovered  that  I  had  been  paying  too  dear  for 
my  whistle. 

On  another  occasion  during  the  same  camp  I 
heard  a  cadet  say  he  would  submit  to  no  order  or 
command  of,  nor  permit  himself  to  be  marched  any- 
where by  "  the  nigger,"  meaning  myself.  We  were 
in  the  same  company,  and  it  so  happened  at  one  time 
that  we  were  on  guard  the  same  day,  and  that  I  was 
the  senior  member  of  our  company  detail.  When 
we  marched  off  the  next  day  the  officer  of  the  guard 
formed  the  company  details  to  the  front,  and  directed 
the  senior  member  of  each  fifteen  to  march  it  to  its 
company  street  and  dismiss  it.  I  instantly  stepped 
to  front  and  assumed  command.  I  marched  it  as  far 
as  the  color  line  at  "  support  arms  ;"  brought  them 
to  a  "  carry"  there  and  saluted  the  colors.  When 
we  were  in  the  company  street,  I  commanded  in  loud 
and  distinct  tone,  "  Trail  arms  !  Break  ranks  ! 
March  !"  A  cadet  in  a  tent  near  by  recognized  my 
voice,  and  hurried  out  into  the  company  street. 
Meeting  the  cadet  first  mentioned  above,  he  thus 
asked  of  him  : 

"  Did  that  nigger  march  you  in  ?" 

"  Yes-es,  the  nigger  marched  us  in,"  speaking 
slowly  and  drawling  it  out  as  if  he  had  quite  lost  the 
power  of  speech. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  213 

At  the  following  semi-annual  examination  (Jan- 
uary, '75),  the  gentleman  was  put  on  the  "retired 
list,"  or  rather  on  the  list  of  "  blasted  hopes."  I 
took  occasion  to  record  the  event  in  the  following 
manner,  changing  of  course  the  names  : 

FAILED.  ; 

Scene. — Hall  of  Cadet  Barracks  at  West  Point.  Characters :  Ransom 
and  Mars,  both  Cadets.  Ransom:,  who  has  been  "found"  at  recent 
semiannual  examination,  meets  his  more  successful  chum,  Mars,  on 
the  stoop.    After  a  moment's  conversation,  they  enter  the  hall. 

Mars  (as  tliey  enter). 
Ah  !  how  !  what  say  ?    Found  !  Art  going  away  ? 
Unfortunate  rather  !  'm  sorry  !  but  stay  ! 
Who  hadst  thou  ?  How  didst  thou  ?   Badly,  I'm  sure. 
Hadst  done  well  they  had  not  treated  thee  so. 

Ransom  (sadly). 
Thou  sayest  aright.  I  did  do  my  best, 
Which  was  but  poorly  I  can  but  confess. 
The  subject  was  hard.     I  could  no  better 
Unless  I'd  memorized  to  the  letter. 

Mars. 
Art  unfortunate  !  but  tho'  'twere  amiss 
Me  half  thinks  e'en  that  were  better  than  this. 
Thou  couldst  have  stood  the  trial,  if  no  more 
Than  to  come  out  low.     That  were  better,  'm  sure. 

Ransom. 

But  'tis  too  late.     'Twas  but  an  afterthought, 
Which  now  methinks  at  most  is  worth  me  naught  : 
"  Le  sort  en  est  jette,"  they  say,  you  know  ; 
'Twere  idle  to  dream  and  still  think  of  woe. 

Mars. 
Thou  sayest  well !    Yield  not  to  one  rebuff. 
Thou'rt  a  man,  show  thyself  of  manly  stuff. 
The  bugle  calls  !   I  must  away  !  Adieu  ! 
May  Fortune  grant,  comrade,  good  luck  to  you  ! 

(They  shales  hands,  Mars  hurries  out  to  answer  the  bugle  call. 
Ransom  prepares  for  immediate  departure  for  home.) 


214  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

"  0  dear  !  it  is  hawid  to  have  this  cullud  cadet — 
perfectly  dre'flnil.  I  should  die  to  see  my  Geawge 
standing  next  to  him."  Thus  did  one  of  your  mod- 
els of  womankind,  one  of  the  negro' s  superiors,  who 
annually  visit  West  Point  to  flirt,  give  vent  to  her 
opinion  of  the  "  cullud  cadet,"  an  opinion  thought 
out  doubtless  with  her  eyes,  and  for  which  she  could 
assign  no  reason  other  than  that  some  of  her 
acquaintances,  manifestly  cadets,  concurred  in  it, 
having  perhaps  so  stated  to  her.  And  the  cadets, 
with  their  accustomed  gallantry,  have  ever  striven 
to  evade  "  standing  next  to  him."  No  little  amuse- 
ment— for  such  it  was  to  me— has  been  afforded  me 
by  the  many  ruses  they  have  adopted  to  prevent 
it.  Some  of  them  have  been  extremely  ridiculous, 
and  in  many  cases  highly  unbecoming  a  cadet  and  a 
gentleman. 

While  I  was  a  plebe,  I  invariably  fell  in  in  the 
rear  rank  along  with  the  other  plebes.  This  is  a 
necessary  and  established  custom.  As  soon  as  I 
became  a  third-classman,  and  had  a  right  to  fall  in  in 
the  front  rank  whenever  necessary  or  convenient, 
they  became  uneasy,  and  began  their  plans  for  keep- 
ing me  from  that  rank.  The  first  sergeant  of  my  com- 
pany did  me  the  honor  of  visiting  me  at  my  quarters 
and  politely  requested  me — not  order  me,  for  he  had 
no  possible  authority  for  such  an  act — to  fall  in  in- 
variably on  the  right  of  the  rear  rank.  To  keep 
down  trouble  and  to  avoid  any  show  of  presumption 
or  forwardness  on  my  part,  as  I  had  been  advised  by 
an  officer,  I  did  as  he  requested,  taking  my  place  on 
the  right  of  the  rear  rank  at  every  formation  of  the 
company  for  another  whole  year.     But  with  all  this 


THE   COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  215 

condescension  on  my  part  I  was  still  the  object  of 
solicitous  care.  My  falling  in  there  did  not  preclude 
the  possibility  of  my  own  classmates,  now  also  risen 
to  the  dignity  of  third-classmen,  falling  in  next  to 
me.  To  perfect  his  plan,  then,  the  first  sergeant  had 
the  senior  plebe  in  the  company  call  at  his  "  house," 
and  take  from  the  roster  an  alphabetical  list  of  all 
the  plebes  in  the  company.  With  this  he  (the  senior 
plebe)  was  to  keep  a  special  roster,  detailing  one  of 
his  own  classmates  to  fall  in  next  to  me.  Each  one 
detailed  for  such  duty  was  to  serve  one  week — from 
Sunday  morning  breakfast  to  Sunday  morning 
breakfast.  The  keeper  of  the  roster  was  not  of 
course  to  be  detailed. 

It  is  astonishing  how  little  care  was  taken  to 
conceal  this  fact  from  me.  The  plan,  etc.,  was 
formed  in  my  hearing,  and  there  seems  to  have  been 
no  effort  or  even  desire  to  hide  it  from  me.  Eeturning 
from  supper  one  evening,  I  distinctly  heard  this  plebe 

tell  the  sergeant  that  "  Mr. refused  to  serve." 

"  You  tell  him,"  said  the  sergeant,  "I  want  to  see 
him  at  my  '  house '  immediately  after  supper.  If  he 
doesn't  serve  I'll  make  it  so  hot  for  him  he'll  wish 
he'd  never  heard  of  West  Point." 

Is  it  not  strange  how  these  models  of  mankind, 
these  our  superiors,  strive  to  thrust  upon  each  other 
what  they  do  not  want  themselves  \  It  is  a  mean- 
ness, a  baseness,  an  unworthiness  from  which  I 
should  shrink.  It  would  be  equally  astonishing 
that  men  ever  submit  to  it,  were  it  not  that  they  are 
plebes,  and  therefore  thus  easily  imposed  upon. 
The  plebe  in  this  case  at  length  submitted. 

When  I  became  a  second-classman,  no  difference 


216  THE   COLOKED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

was  made  by  the  cadets  in  their  mariner  of  falling  in, 
whether  because  their  scruples  were  overcome  or 
because  no  fitting  means  presented  themselves  for 
avoiding  it,  I  know  not.  If  they  happened  to  be 
near  me  when  it  was  time  to  fall  in,  they  fell  in  next 
to  me. 

In  the  spring  of  '76,  our  then  first  sergeant 
ordered  us  to  fall  in  at  all  formations  as  nearly  ac- 
cording to  size  as  possible.  As  soon  as  this  order 
was  given,  for  some  unknown  reason,  the  old  regime 
was  readopted.  If  I  happened  to  fall  in  next  to  a 
first- classman,  and  he  discovered  it,  or  if  a  first-class- 
man fell  in  next  to  me,  and  afterward  found  it  out, 
he  would  fall  out  and  go  to  the  rear.  The  second 
and  third- classmen,  for  no  other  reason  than  that 
first-classmen  did  it,  "got  upon  their  dignity,"  and 
refused  to  stand  next  to  me.  We  see  here  a  good 
illustration  of  that  cringing,  "  bone  -  popularity" 
spirit  which  I  have  mentioned  elsewhere. 

The  means  of  prevention  adopted  now  were  some- 
what different  from  those  of  a  year  before.  A  file- 
closer  would  watch  and  follow  me  closely,  and  when 
I  fell  in  would  put  a  plebe  on  each  side  of  me.  It 
was  really  amusing  sometimes  to  see  his  eagerness, 
and  quite  as  amusing,  I  may  add,  to  see  his  dismay 
when  I  would  deliberately  leave  the  place  thus 
hemmed  in  by  plebes  and  fall  in  elsewhere. 

We  see  here  again  that  cringing  disposition  to 
which  I  believe  the  whole  of  the  ill-treatment  of  col- 
ored cadets  has  been  due.  The  file-closers  are 
usually  second-class  sergeants  and  third-class  cor- 
porals. By  way  of  "boning  popularity"  with  the 
upper  classmen,  they  stoop  to  almost  any  thing.     In 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  217 

this  case  tliey  hedged  me  in  between  the  two  plebes 
to  prevent  upper  classmen  from  failing  in  next  to 
me. 

But  it  may  be  asked  why  I  objected  to  having 
plebes  next  to  me.  I  would  answer,  for  several 
reasons.  Under  existing  circumstances  of  prejudice, 
it  was  of  the  utmost  importance  to  me  to  keep  them 
away  from  me.  First — and  by  no  means  the  least 
important  reason — to  put  them  in  the  front  rank 
was  violating  a  necessary  and  established  custom. 
The  plebes  are  put  in  the  rear  rank  because  of  their 
inexperience  and  general  ignorance  of  the  principles 
of  marching,  dressing,  etc.  If  they  are  in  the  front 
rank,  it  would  simply  be  absurd  to  expect  good 
marching  of  them.  A  second  reason,  and  by  far 
the  most  important,  results  directly  from  this  one. 
Being  between  two  plebes,  who  would  not,  could  not 
keep  dressed,  it  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  do  so. 
The  general  alignment  of  the  company  would  be  de- 
stroyed. There  would  be  crowding  and  opening  out 
of  the  ranks,  and  it  would  all  originate  in  my  imme- 
diate vicinity.  The  file-closers,  never  over-scrupu- 
lous when  I  was  concerned,  and  especially  when 
they  could  forward  their  own  "  popularity -boning" 
interests,  would  report  me  for  these  disorders  in  the 
company.  I  would  get  demerits  and  punishment  for 
what  the  plebes  next  to  me  were  really  responsible 
for.  The  plebes  would  not  be  reported,  because  if 
they  were  their  inexperience  would  plead  strongly  in 
their  favor,  and  any  reasonable  explanation  of  an 
offence  would  suffice  to  insure  its  removal.  I  was 
never  overfond  of  demerits  or  punishments,  and 
therefore  strenuously  opposed  any  thing  that  might 


218  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

give  me  either  ;  for  instance,  having  plebes  put  next 
to  me  in  ranks. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  year  the  plebes,  having 
learned  more  about  me  and  the  way  the  corps  looked 
npon  me,  became  as  eager  to  avoid  me  as  the  others. 
Not,  however,  all  the  plebes,  for  there  were  some 
who,  when  they  saw  others  trying  to  avoid  falling 
in  next  to  me,  would  deliberately  come  and  take 
their  places  there.  These  plebes,  or  rather  yearlings 
now,  were  better  disciplined,  and,  of  course,  my  own 
scruples  vanished. 

During  the  last  few  months  of  the  year  no  dis- 
tinction was  made,  save  by  one  or  two  high-toned 
ones. 

When  the  next  class  of  plebes  were  put  in  the 
battalion,  the  old  cadets  began  to  thrust  them  into 
the  front  rank  next  to  me.  At  first  I  was  indignant, 
but  upon  second  thought  I  determined  to  tolerate  it 
until  I  should  be  reported  for  some  oifence  which 
was  really  an  offence  of  the  plebes.  I  intended  to 
then  explain  the  case,  h  priori,  in  my  written  ex- 
planation to  the  commandant.  I  knew  such  a  course 
would  cause  a  discontinuance  of  the  practice,  which 
was  plainly  malicious  and  contrary  to  regulations. 
Fortunately,  however,  for  all  concerned,  the  affair 
was  noticed  by  an  officer,  and  by  him  summarily  dis- 
continued. I  was  glad  of  this,  for  the  other  course 
would  have  made  the  cadets  more  unfriendly,  and 
would  have  made  my  condition  even  worse  than  it 
was.  Thereafter  I  had  no  further  trouble  with  the 
plebes. 

One  day,  during  my  yearling  camp,  when  I  hap- 
pened to  be  on  guard,  a  photographer,  wishing  a  view 


THE    COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  219 

of  the  guard,  obtained  permission  to  make  the  neces- 
sary negative.  As  the  officer  of  the  day  desired  to 
be  "took"  with  the  guard,  he  came  down  to  the 
guard  tents,  and  the  guard  was  "turned  out"  for 
him  by  the  sentinel.  He  did  not  wish  it  then,  and 
accordingly  so  indicated  by  saluting.  I  was  sitting 
on  a  camp-stool  in  the  shade  reading.  A  few  min- 
utes after  the  officer  of  the  day  came.  I  heard  the 
corporal  call  out,  "  Fall  in  the  guard."  I  hurried 
for  my  gun,  and  passing  near  and  behind  the  officer 
of  the  day,  I  heard  him  say  to  the  corporal : 

"Say,   cant  you  get  rid  of  that  nigger?     We 
don't  want  him  in  the  picture." 

The  corporal  immediately  ordered  me  to  fetch  a 
pail  of  water.  As  he  had  a  perfect  right  to  thus 
order  me,  being  for  the  time  my  senior  officer,  I  pro- 
ceeded to  obey.  While  taking  the  pail  the  officer  of 
the  day  approached  me  and  most  politely  asked : 
"  Going  for  water,  Mr.  Flipper  V 
I  told  him  I  was. 

"  That's  right,"  continued  he  ;  "  do  hurry.  I'm 
nearly  dead  of  thirst." 

It  is  simply  astonishing  to  see  how  these  young 
men  can  stoop  when  they  want  any  thing.  A  cadet 
of  the  second  class — when  I  was  in  the  third  class — 
was  once  arrested  for  a  certain  offence,  and,  from 
the  nature  of  the  charge,  was  likely  to  be  court- 
martialed.  His  friends  made  preparation  for  his  de- 
fence. As  I  was  not  ten  feet  from  him  at  the  time 
specified  in  the  charge,  my  evidence  would  be  re- 
quired in  the  event  of  a  trial.  I  was  therefore  visited 
by  one  of  his  friends.  He  brought  paper  and  pencil 
and  made  a  memorandum  of  what  I  had  to  say.  The 
cadet  himself  had  the  limits  of  his  arrest  extended 


220  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

and  then  visited  me  in  person.  We  conversed  quite 
a  while  on  the  subject,  and,  as  my  evidence  would 
be  in  his  favor,  I  promised  to  give  it  in  case  he  was 
tried.  He  thanked  me  very  cordially,  asked  how  I 
was  getting  along  in  my  studies,  expressed  much  re- 
gret at  my  being  ostracized,  wished  me  all  sorts  of 
success,  and  again  thanking  me  took  his  leave. 

There  is  an  article  in  the  academic  regulations 
which  provides  or  declares  that  no  citizen  who  has 
been  a  cadet  at  the  Military  Academy  can  receive  a 
commission  in  the  regular  army  before  the  class  of 
which  he  was  a  member  graduates,  unless  he  can 
get  the  written  consent  of  his  former  classmates. 

A  classmate  of  mine  resigned  in  the  summer  of 
'75,  and  about  a  year  after  endeavored  to  get  a  com- 
mission. A  friend  and  former  classmate  drew  up 
the  approval,  and  invited  the  class  to  his  "house" 
to  sign  it.  When  half  a  dozen  or  more  had  signed 
it,  it  was  sent  to  the  guard-house,  and  the  corporal 
of  the  guard  came  and  notified  me  it  was  there  for 
my  consideration.  I  went  to  the  guard-house  at 
once.  A  number  of  cadets  were  sitting  or  standing 
around  in  the  room.  As  soon  as  I  entered  they  be- 
came silent  and  remained  so,  expecting,  no  doubt, 
I'd  refuse  to  sign  it,  because  of  the  treatment  I  had 
received  at  their  hands.  They  certainly  had  little 
cause  to  expect  that  I  would  add  my  signature. 
Nevertheless  I  read  the  paper  over  and  signed  it 
without  hesitation.  Their  anxiety  was  raised  to  the 
highest  possible  pitch,  and  scarcely  had  I  left  the 
room  ere  they  seized  the  paper  as  if  they  would  de- 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  "WEST   POINT.  22  L 

vour  it.     I  heard  some  one  who  came  in  as  I  went 
out  ask,  "  Did  he  sign  it  ?" 

Another  case  of  condescension  on  the  part  of  an 
upper  classman  occurred  in  the  early  part  of  my 
third  year  at  the  Academy,  and  this  time  in  the  mess 
hall.  We  were  then  seated  at  the  tables  by  classes. 
Each  table  had  a  commandant,  who  was  a  cadet 
captain,  lieutenant  or  sergeant,  and  in  a  few  instances 
a  corporal.  At  each  table  there  was  also  a  carver, 
who  was  generally  a  corporal,  occasionally  a  ser- 
geant or  private.  The  other  seats  were  occupied  by 
privates,  and  usually  in  this  order:  first-classmen  had 
first  and  second  seats,  second-classmen  second  and 
third  seats,  third-classmen  third  and  fourth  seats, 
and  fourth-classmen  fourth  and  fifth  seats,  which 
were  at  the  foot  of  the  table.  I  had  a  first  seat, 
although  a  second-classman.  For  some  reason  a 
first-classman,  who  had  a  first  seat  at  another  table, 
desired  to  change  seats  with  me.  He  accordingly 
sent  a  cadet  for  me.  I  went  over  to  his  room.  I 
agreed  to  make  the  change,  provided  he  himself 
obtained  permission  of  the  proper  authorities.  It 
was  distinctly  understood  that  he  was  to  take  my 
seat,  a  first  seat,  and  I  was  to  take  his  seat,  also  a 
first  seat.  He  obtained  permission  of  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  mess  hall,  and  also  a  written  permit 
from  the  commandant.  The  change  was  made,  but 
lo  and  behold  !  instead  of  a  first  seat  I  got  a  third. 
The  agreement  was  thus  violated  by  him,  my 
superior  (?),  and  I  was  dissatisfied.  The  whole  affair 
was  explained  to  the  commandant,  not,  however,  by 
10 


222  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POIKT. 

myself,  but  by  my  consent,  the  permit  revoked,  and 
I  gained  my  former  first  seat.  A  tactical  officer 
asked  me,  "  Why  did  you  exchange  with  him  \  Has 
he  ever  done  any  thing  for  you  ?" 

I  told  him  he  had  not,  and  that  I  did  it  merely  to 
oblige  him.  It  was  immaterial  to  me  at  what  table 
I  sat,  provided  I  had  a  seat  consistent  with  the  dig- 
nity of  my  class. 

The  baseness  of  character  displayed  by  the  gen- 
tleman, the  reflection  on  myself  and  class  would  have 
evoked  a  complaint  from  me  had  not  a  classmate 
anticipated  me  by  doing  so  himself. 

This  gentleman  (?)  was  practically  "  cut "  by  the 
whole  corps.  He  was  spoken  to,  and  that-  was  about 
all  that  made  his  status  in  the  corps  better  than  mine. 

Just  after  the  semiannual  examination  following 
this  adventure,  another,  more  ridiculous  still,  oc- 
curred, of  which  I  was  the  innocent  cause.  The  dis- 
missal of  a  number  of  deficient  plebes  and  others 
made  necessary  a  rearrangement  of  seats.  The  com- 
mandant saw  fit  to  have  it  made  according  to  class 
rank.  It  changed  completely  the  former  arrange- 
ment, and  gave  me  a  third  seat.  A  classmate,  who 
was  senior  to  me,  had  the  second  seat.  He  did  not 
choose  to  take  it,  and  for  two  or  more  weeks  refused 
to  do  so.  I  had  the  second  seat  during  all  this  time, 
while  he  was  fed  in  his  quarters  by  his  chum.  He 
had  a  set  of  miniature  cooking  utensils  in  his  own 
room,  and  frequently  cooked  there,  using  the  gas  as 
a  source  of  heat.  These  were  at  last  "  hived,"  and 
he  was  ordered  to  "  turn  them  in."  He  went  to  din- 
ner one  day  when  I  was  absent  on  guard.     At  sup- 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST  POINT.  223 

per  lie  appeared  again.  Some  one  asked  him  how  it 
was  he  was  there,  glancing  at  the  same  time  at  me. 
He  laughed — it  was  plainly  forced — and  replied,  ' '  I 
forgot  to  fall  out." 

He  came  to  his  meals  the  next  clay,  the  next,  and 
every  succeeding  day  regularly.  Thus  were  his 
scruples  overcome.  His  refusing  to  go  to  his  meals 
because  he  had  to  sit  next  to  me  was  strongly  disap- 
proved by  the  corps  for  two  reasons,  viz.,  that  he 
ought  to  be  man  enough  not  to  thrust  on  others 
what  he  himself  disliked  ;  and  that  as  others  for  two 
years  had  had  seats  by  me,  he  ought  not  to  complain 
because  it  now  fell  to  his  lot  to  have  one  there  too. 

Just  after  my  return,  in  September,  1875,  from  a 
furlough  of  two  months,  an  incident  occurred  which, 
explained,  will  give  some  idea  of  the  low,  unprinci- 
pled manner  in  which  some  of  the  cadets  have  acted 
toward  me.  It  was  at  cavalry  drill.  I  was  riding  a 
horse  that  was  by  no  means  a  favorite  with  us.  He 
happened  to  fall  to  my  lot  that  day,  and  I  rather 
liked  him.  His  greatest  faults  were  a  propensity  for 
kicking  and  slight  inequality  in  the  length  of  his 
legs.  We  were  marching  in  a  column  of  fours,  and 
at  a  slow  walk.  I  turned  my  head  for  some  pur- 
pose, and  almost  simultaneously  my  horse  plunged 
headlong  into  the  fours  in  front  of  me.  It  was  with 
difficulty  that  I  retained  my  seat.  I  supposed  that 
when  I  turned  my  head  I  had  accidentally  spurred 
him,  thus  causing  him  to  plunge  forward.  I  re- 
gained my  proper  place  in  ranks. 

ISTone  of  this  was  seen  by  the  instructor,  who  was 
riding  at  the  head  of  the  column.     Shortly  after  this 


224  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

I  noticed  that  those  near  me  were  laughing.  I 
turned  my  head  to  observe  the  cause  and  caught  the 
trooper  on  my  left  in  the  act  of  spurring  my  horse. 
I  looked  at  him  long  and  fiercely,  while  he  desisted 
and  hung  his  head.  Not  long  afterwards  the  same 
thing  was  repeated,  and  this  time  was  seen  by  the 
instructor,  who  happened  to  wheel  about  as  my  horse 
rushed,  forward.  He  immediately  halted  the  column, 
and,  approaching,  asked  me,  "  What  is  the  matter 
with  that  horse,  Mr.  F.  ?"  To  which  I  replied,  "  The 
trooper  on  my  left  persists  in  kicking  and  spurring 
him,  so  that  I  can  do  nothing  with  him." 

He  then  caused  another  trooper  in  another  set  of 
fours  to  change  places  with  me,  and  thereafter  all 
went  well. 

Notwithstanding  the  secrecy  of  hazing,  and  the 
great  care  which  those  who  practised  it  took  to  pre- 
vent being  "hived,"  they  sometimes  overreached 
themselves  and  were  severely  punished.  Cases  have 
occurred  where  cadets  have  been  dismissed  for  haz- 
ing, while  others  have  been  less  severely  punished. 

Sometimes,  also,  the  joke,  if  I  may  so  call  it,  has 
been  turned  upon  the  perpetrators  to  their  utter  dis- 
comfort.    I  will  cite  an  instance. 

Quite  often  in  camp  two  robust  plebes  are  selected 
and  ordered  to  report  at  a  specified  tent  just  after  the 
battalion  returns  from  supper.  When  they  report 
each  is  provided  with  a  pillow.  They  take  their 
places  in  the  middle  of  the  company  street,  and  at  a 
given  signal  commence  pounding  each  other.  A 
crowd  assembles  from  all  parts  of  camp  to  witness 
the  "  pillow  fight,"  as  it  is  called.     Sometimes,  also, 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  225 

after  fighting  awhile,  the  combatants  are  permitted 
to  rest,  and  another  set  continues  the  fight. 

On  one  of  these  occasions,  after  fighting  quite  a 
while,  a  pillow  bursted,  and  one  of  the  antagonists 
was  literally  buried  in  feathers.  At  this  a  shout  of 
laughter  arose  and  the  fun  was  complete.  But  alas 
for  such  pleasures  !  An  officer  in  his  tent,  disturbed 
by  the  noise,  came  out  to  find  its  cause.  He  saw  it 
at  a  glance,  aided  no  doubt  by  vivid  recollections  of 
his  own  experience  in  his  plebe  camp.  He  called  an 
orderly  and  sent  for  the  cadet  captain  of  the  com- 
pany. When  he  came  he  was  ordered  to  send  the 
plebes — he  said  new  cadets — to  their  tents,  and  order 
them  to  remain  there  till  permission  was  given  to 
leave  them.  He  then  had  every  man,  not  a  plebe, 
who  had  been  present  at  the  pillow  fight  turned  out. 
When  this  was  done  he  ordered  them  to  pick  up 
every  feather  within  half  an  hour,  and  the  captain  to 
inspect  at  the  end  of  that  time  and  to  see  that  the 
order  was  obeyed.  Thus,  therefore,  the  plebes  got 
the  better  part  of  the  joke. 

It  was  rumored  in  camp  one  day  that  the  super- 
intendent and.commandant  were  both  absent  from 
the  post,  and  that  the  senior  tactical  officer  was  there- 
fore acting  superintendent.  A  plebe  sentinel  on 
Post  No.  1,  seeing  him  approaching  camp,  and  not 
knowing  under  the  circumstances  how  to  act,  or 
rather,  perhaps,  I  should  say,  not  knowing  whether 
the  report  was  true  or  not,  called  a  corporal,  and 
asked  if  he  should  salute  this  officer  with  "present 
arms."  To  this  question  that  dignitary  replied  with 
righteous  horror,  "  Salute  him  with  present  arms  ! 


226  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

No,  sir  !  You  stand  at  attention,  and  when  lie  gets 
on  your  post  shout,  '  Hosannah  to  the  supe  ! '  "  This 
rather  startled  the  plebe,  who  found  himself  more 
confused  than  ever.  When  it  was  about  time  for  the 
sentinel  to  do  something  the  corporal  told  him  what 
to  do,  and  returned  to  the  guard  tents.  The  officer 
was  at  the  time  the  commanding  officer  of  the  camp. 

While  walking  down  Sixth  Avenue,  ISTew  York, 
with  a  young  lady,  on  a  beautiful  Sabbath  afternoon 
in  the  summer  of  1875,  I  was  paid  a  high  compliment 
by  an  old  colored  soldier.  He  had  lost  one  leg  and 
had  been  otherwise  maimed  for  life  in  the  great 
struggle  of  1861-65  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union. 
As  soon  as  he  saw  me  approaching  he  moved  to  the 
outside  of  the  pavement  and  assumed  as  well  as  pos- 
sible the  position  of  the  soldier.  When  I  was  about 
six  paces  from  him  he  brought  his  crutch  to  the 
position  of  "  present  arms,"  iu  a  soldierly  manner, 
in  salute  to  me.  I  raised  my  cap  as  I  passed,  en- 
deavoring to  be  as  polite  as  possible,  both  in  return 
for  his  salute  and  because  of  his  age.  He  took  the 
position  of  "carry  arms,"  saying  as  he  did  so, 
"  That's  right !  that's  right !  Make* me  glad  to  see 
it." 

We  passed  on,  while  he,  too,  resumed  his  course, 
ejaculating  something  about  "good-breeding,"  etc., 
all  of  which  we  did  not  hear. 

Upon  inquiry  I  learned,  as  stated,  that  he  had 
served  in  the  Federal  army.  He  had  given  his  time 
and  energy,  even  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  to  his  coun- 
try.    He  had  lost  one  limb,  and  been  maimed  other- 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  227 

wise  for  life.     I  considered  the  salute  for  that  reason 
a  greater  honor. 

During  the  summer  of  1873  a  number  of  cadets, 
who  were  on  furlough,  visited  Mammoth  Cave. 
While  there  they  noticed  on  the  wall,  written  in  pen- 
cil, the  name  of  an  officer  who  was  an  instructor  in 
Spanish  at  West  Point.  One  of  them  took  occasion 
to  add  to  the  inscription  the  following  bit  of  infor- 
mation : 

"  Known  at  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy  as  the 
'  Spanish  Inquisition.'  " 

A  number  of  cadets  accosted  a  plebe,  who  had 
just  reported  in  May,  1874,  and  the  following  con- 
versation ensued : 

"  Well,  mister,  what's  your  name  ?" 

"  John  Walden." 

"  Sir  !"  yelled  rather  than  spoken. 

"  John  Walden." 

"  Well,  sir,  I  want  to  see  you  put  a  '  sir '  on  it," 
with  another  yell. 

"  Sir  John  Walden,"  was  the  unconcerned  re- 
joinder. 

Now  it  was  not  expected  that  the  "  sir"  would  be 
put  before  the  name  after  the  manner  of  a  title,  but 
this  impenetrable  plebe  put  it  there,  and  in  so  solemn 
and  "don't-care"  a  manner  that  the  cadets  turned 
away  in  a  roar  of  laughter. 

Ever  afterward  he  was  known  in  the  corps  as 
"Sir  John." 

Another  incident,  even  more  laughable  perhaps 
than  the  preceding,  occurred  between  a  cadet  and 


223  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

plebe,  which  doubtless  saved  the  plebe  from  further 
hazing.     Approaching  him  with  a  look  of  utter  con- 
tempt on  his  face,  the  cadet  asked  him  : 
"  Well,  thing,  what's  your  name  ?" 
"Wilreni,  sir,"  meekly  responded  he.  ' 
"Wilreni,  sir!"  repeated  the  cadet  slowly,  and 
bowing  his  head  he  seemed  for  a  moment  buried  in 
profoundest  thought.     Suddenly  brightening  up,  he 
rejoined  in  the  most  unconcerned  manner  possible  : 
"Oh!  yes,   yes,  I  remember  now.      You  are  Will 
Reni,  the  son  of  old  man  Bill  Reni,"  put  particular 
stress  on  "  Will"  and  "  Bill." 

I  think,  though,  the  most  laughable  incident  that 
has  come  under  my  notice  was  that  of  a  certain  plebe 
who  made  himself  famous  for  gourmandizing. 

Each  night  throughout  the  summer  encampment, 
the  guard  is  supplied  from  the  mess  hall  with  an 
abundance  of  sandwiches.  The  old  cadets  rarely  eat 
them,  but  to  the  plebes,  as  yet  unaccustomed  to 
guard  duty,  they  are  quite  a  treat. 

On  one  occasion  when  the  sandwiches  were  un- 
usually well  prepared,  and  therefore  unusually  in- 
viting, it  was  desirable  to  preserve  them  till  late  in 
the  night,  till  after  the  guard  had  been  turned  out 
and  inspected  by  the  officer  of  the  day.  They  were 
accordingly — to  conceal  them  from  the  plebes — trans- 
ferred, with  the  vessel  containing  them,  to  one  of  the 
chests  of  a  caisson  of  the  light  battery,  just  in  front 
of  camp  in  park.  Here  they  were  supposed  to  be 
safe.  But  alas  for  such  safety  !  At  an  hour  not 
far  advanced  into  the  night,  two  plebes,  led  by  an 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST  POINT.  229 

unerring  instinctiveness,  discovered  the  hiding-place 
of  the  sandwiches  and  devoured  them  all. 

Now  when  the  hour  of  feasting  was  come,  a  cor- 
poral was  dispatched  for  the  dainty  dish,  when,  lo 
and  behold  !  it  had  vanished.  The  plebes — for  who 
else  could  thus  have  secretly  devoured  them — were 
brought  to  account  and  the  guilty  ones  discovered. 
They  were  severely  censured  in  that  contemptuous 
manner  in  which  only  a  cadet,  an  upper  classman, 
can  censure  a  plebe,  and  threatened  with  hazing  and 
all  sorts  of  unpleasantness. 

Next  morning  they  were  called  forth  and  marched 
ingloriously  to  the  presence  of  the  commandant. 
Upon  learning  the  object  of  the  visit  he  turned  to 
the  chief  criminal — the  finder  of  the  sandwiches — and 
asked  him,  "Why  did  you  eat  all  the  sandwiches, 
Mr.  S ?" 

' '  I  didn' t  eat  them  all  up,  sir.  I  ate  only  fifteen," 
was  his  ready  reply. 

The  gravity  of  the  occasion,  coupled  with  the 
enormity  of  the  feast,  was  too  much,  and  the  com- 
mandant turned  away  his  head  to  conceal  the 
laughter  he  could  not  withhold.  The  plebe  himself 
was  rather  short  and  fleshy,  and  the  picture  of  mirth. 
Indeed  to  see  him  walking  even  along  the  company 
street  was  enough  to  call  forth  laughter  either  at  him 
as  he  waddled  along  or  at  the  humorous  remarks  the 
act  called  forth  from  onlooking  cadets. 

He  was  confined  to  one  of  the  guard  tents  by  order 
of  the  commandant,  and  directed  by  him  to  submit 
a  written  explanation  for  eating  all  the  sandwiches 
of  the  guard.     The  explanation  was  unsatisfactory, 


230  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

and  the  gentleman  received  some  other  light  punish- 
ment, the  nature  of  which  has  at  this  late  day  escaped 
my  memory. 

The  other  plebe,  being  only  a  particeps  criminis, 
was  not  so  severely  punished.  A  reprimand,  I 
think,  was  the  extent  of  his  punishment. 

The  two  gentlemen  have  long  since  gone  where 
the  "woodbine  twineth" — that  is,  been  found  de- 
ficient in  studies  and  dismissed. 

There  was  a  cadet  in  the  corps  who  had  a  won- 
derful propensity  for  using  the  word  ' '  mighty. ' ' 

With  him  every  thing  was  ' '  mighty. ' '  I  honestly 
do  not  believe  I  ever  heard  him  conversing  when  he 
did  not  use  "  mighty." 

Speaking  of  me  one  day,  and  unconscious  of  my 
presence,  he  said,  "I  tell  you  he  does  'mighty' 
well." 

During  drill  at  the  siege  battery  on  the  25th  of 
April,  1876,  an  accident  occurred  which  came  near 
proving  fatal  to  one  of  us.  I  had  myself  just  fired 
an  8-inch  howitzer,  and  gone  to  the  rear  to  observe 
the  effect  of  the  other  shots.  One  piece  had  been 
fired,  and  the  command  for  the  next  to  fire  had  been 
given.  I  was  watching  intently  the  target  when  I 
was  startled  by  the  cry  of  some  one  near  me,  "  Look 
out !  look  out !"  I  turned  my  eyes  instinctively 
toward  the  piece  just  fired,  but  saw  only  smoke.  I 
then  looked  up  and  saw  a  huge  black  body  of  some 
kind  moving  rapidly  over  our  heads.  It  was  not 
until  the  smoke  had  nearly  disappeared  that  I  knew 
what  was  the  cause  of  the  disturbance.     A  number 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  231 

of  cannoneers  and  our  instructor  were  vociferously 
asking,  "Anybody  hurt?  Anybody  hurt?"  We 
all  moved  up  to  the  piece,  and,  rinding  no  one  was 
injured,  examined  it.  The  piece,  a  4^-inch  rifle, 
mounted  on  a  siege  carriage,  had  broken  obliquely 
from  the  trunnions  downward  and  to  the  rear.  The 
re-enforce  thus  severed  from  the  chase  broke  into  three 
parts,  the  nob  of  the  cascabel,  and  the  other  portion 
split  in  the  direction  of  the  bore.  The  right  half  of 
the  re-enforce,  together  with  the  nob  of  the  cascabel, 
were  projected  into  the  air,  describing  a  curve  over 
our  heads,  and  falling  at  about  twenty  feet  from  the 
right  of  the  battery,  having  passed  over  a  horizontal 
distance  of  about  sixty  or  seventy  feet.  The  left  half 
was  thrown  obliquely  to  the  ground,  tearing  away 
in  its  passage  the  left  cheek  of  the  carriage,  and 
breaking  the  left  trunnion  plate.  A  cannoneer  was 
standing  on  the  platform  of  the  next  piece  on  the 
left  writh  the  lanyard  in  his  hand.  His  feet  were  on 
two  adjacent  deck  planks,  his  heels  being  on  line 
with  the  edge  of  the  platform.  These  two  planks 
were  struck  upon  their  ends,  and  moved  bodily,  with 
the  cadet  upon  them,  three  or  four  inches  from  their 
proper  place.  The  bolts  that  held  them  and  the  ad- 
jacent planks  together  were  broken,  while  not  the 
slightest  injury  wras  done  the  cadet. 

It  was  hardly  to  be  believed,  and  was  not  until 
twro  or  three  of  the  other  cannoneers  had  examined 
him  and  found  him  really  uninjured.  It  was  simply 
miraculous.  The  instructor  sent  the  cannoneers  to 
the  rear,  and  fired  the  next  gun  himself. 

After  securing  the  pieces  and  replacing  equip- 
ments,  we  were  permitted  to  again  examine  the 


232  THE   COLOKED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

bursted    gun,   after    which   the    battery   was    dis- 
missed. 

There  had  been  some  difficulty  in  loading  the 
piece,  especially  in  getting  the  projectile  home.  It 
was  supposed  that  this  not  being  done  properly 
caused  the  bursting. 

I  was  one  summer  day  enjoying  a  walk  on  "  Flir- 
tation." I  was  alone,  and,  if  I  remember  aright, 
"on  Old  Guard  privileges."  Walking  leisurely 
along  I  soon  observed  in  front  of  me  a  number  of 
young  ladies,  a  servant  girl,  and  several  small  chil- 
dren. 

They  were  all  busily  occupied  in  gathering  wild 
flowers,  a  kind  of  moss  and  ferns  which  grow  here 
in  abundance.  I  was  first  seen  by  one  of  the  chil- 
dren, a  little  girl.  She  instantly  fixed  her  eyes  upon 
me,  and  began  vociferating  in  a  most  joyous  manner, 
"  The  colored  cadet !  the  colored  cadet !  I'm  going 
to  tell  mamma  I've  seen  the  colored  cadet." 

The  servant  girl  endeavored  to  quiet  her,  but  she 
continued  as  gayly  as  ever : 

"It's  the  colored  cadet!  I'm  going  to  tell 
mamma.  I'm  going  to  tell  mamma  I've  seen  the 
colored  cadet." 

All  the  others  stopped  gathering  flowers,  and 
watched  me  till  I  was  out  of  sight. 

A  similar  display  of  astonishment  has  occurred 
at  every  annual  examination  since  I  became  a  cadet, 
and  on  these  occasions  the  ladies  more  than  anybody 
else  have  been  the  ones  to  show  it. 

Whenever  I  took  my  place  on  the  floor  to  receive 
my  enunciation  or  to  be  questioned,  I  have  observed 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  233 

whisperings,  often  audible,  and  gestures  of  surprise 
among  the  lady  visitors.  I  have  frequently  heard 
such  exclamations  as  this  :  "  Oh  !  there's  the  colored 
cadet !  there's  the  colored  cadet !" 

All  of  this  naturally  tended  to  confuse  me,  and  it 
was  only  by  determined  effort  that  I  maintained  any 
degree  of  coolness.  Of  course  they  did  not  intend 
to  confuse  me.  Nothing  was,  I  dare  say,  further 
from  their  thoughts.  But  they  were  women  ;  and  it 
never  occurs  to  a  woman  to  think  before  she  speaks. 

It  was  rather  laughable  to  hear  a  cadet,  who  was 
expounding  the  theory  of  twilight,  say,  pointing  to 
his  figure  on  the  blackboard :  "  If  a  spectator  should 
cross  this  limit  of  the  crepuscular  zone  he  would 
enter  into  final  darkness." 

Now  "  final  darkness,"  as  we  usually  understand 
it,  refers  to  something  having  no  resemblance  what- 
ever to  the  characteristics  of  the  crepuscular  zone. 

The  solemn  manner  in  which  he  spoke  it,  together 
with  their  true  significations,  made  the  circumstance 
quite  laughable. 

The  most  ludicrous  case  of  hazing  I  know  of  is,  I 
think,  the  following : 

For  an  unusual  display  of  grossness  a  number  of 
plebes  were  ordered  by  the  cadet  lieutenant  on  duty 
over  them  to  report  at  his  "house"  at  a  specified 
hour.  They  duly  reported  their  presence,  and  were 
directed  to  assume  the  position  of  the  soldier,  facing 
the  wall  until  released.  After  silently  watching 
them  for  a  considerable  time,  the  lieutenant,  who  had 
a  remarkable  penchant  for  joking,  called  two  of  them 


231  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST  POINT. 

into  the  middle  of  the  room.  He  caused  them  to 
stand  dos  d  dos,  at  a  distance  of  about  one  foot  from 
each  other,  and  then  bursting  into  a  laugh,  which  he 
vainly  endeavored  to  suppress,  he  commanded,  "  Sec- 
ond, exercise  !" 

Now  to  execute  this  movement  the  hands  are  ex- 
tended vertically  over  the  head  and  the  hands  joined. 
At  the  command  "  Two  !"  given  when  this  is  done, 
the  arms  are  brought  briskly  forward  and  downward 
until  the  hands  touch  if  possible  the  ground  or  floor. 
The  plebes  having  gone  through  the  first  motion,  the 
lieutenant  thus  cautioned  them  : 

"  When  I  say  '  Two  ! '  I  want  to  see  you  men  come 
down  with  life,  and  touch  the  floor.     Two  !" 

At  the  command  they  both  quickly,  and  "  with 
life,"  brought  their  bodies  forward  and  their  arms 
downward  ;  nay,  they  but  attempted,  for  scarcely 
had  they  left  the  vertical  ere  their  bodies  collided, 
and  they  were  each  hurled  impetuously,  by  the  in- 
evitable reaction  in  opposite  directions,  over  a  dis- 
tance of  several  feet. 

Their  bodies  being  in  an  inclined  position  when 
struck,  and  the  blow  being  of  great  force,  they 
were  necessarily  forced  still  further  from  the  erect 
attitude,  and  were  with  much  difficulty  able  to  keep 
themselves  from  falling  outright  on  the  floor.  Of 
course  all  present,  save  those  concerned,  enjoyed  it 
immensely.  Indeed  it  was  enjoyable.  Even  the 
plebes  themselves  had  a  hearty  laugh  over  it  when 
they  were  dismissed. 

Again  a  cadet  lieutenant,  who  was  on  duty  at  the 
time  over  the  "  Seps,"  ordered  a  number  of  them  to 
report  at  his  "house"  at  a  given  hour.     They  had 


THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  235 

been  unusually  gross,  and  lie  intended  to  punish 
tliein  by  keeping  them  standing  in  his  quarters. 
They  reported,  and  were  put  in  position  to  serve  their 
punishment.  For  some  reason  the  lieutenant  left 
the  room,  when  one  of  the  "Seps"  faced  to  the 
others  and  thus  spoke  to  them  : 

"  Say,  boys,  let's  kick  up  the  devil.     P has 

gone  out." 

Now  it  so  happened  that  P 's  chum  was  pres- 
ent, but  in  his  alcove,  and  this  was  not  known  to  the 
Seps.  When  the  Sep  had  finished  speaking,  this 
chum  came  forth  and  "went  for"  him.  He  made 
the  Sep  assume  the  soldier's  position,  and  then  com- 
manded, "  Second,  exercise  !"  which  command  the 
Sep  proceeded  to  obey. 

Another  cadet  coming  in  found  him  vigorously  at 
it,  and  queried,  "  Well,  mister,  what's  all  that  for  ?" 

"Eccentricity  of  Mr.  M ,  sir,"  he  promptly 

replied. 

The  word  eccentricity  was  uot  interpreted  by  the 
cadet,  of  course,  as  the  Sep  meant  it  should  be,  but 
in  the  sense  we  use  it  when  we  speak  of  the  eccen- 
tricity of  an  orbit  for  instance. 

Hence  it  was  that  Mr.  M asked,   "  Well,  sir, 

what's  the  expression  for  my  eccentricity  V 

There  is  another  incident  remotely  connected  with 
my  first  tour  of  guard  duty  which  may  be  mentioned 
here. 

At  about  eleven  o'clock  a.m.,  in  obedience  to  a 
then  recent  order,  my  junior  reported  at  the  observ- 
atory to  make  the  necessary  observations  for  finding 
the  error  of  the  Tower  clock.     After  an  elaborate  ex- 


236  THE   COLORED   CADET   AT  WEST   POINT. 

planation  by  an  officer  then  present  upon  the  grad- 
uation of  the  vernier  and  the  manner  of  reading  it, 
the  cadet  set  the  finders  so  as  to  read  the  north  polar 
distance  of  the  sun  for  that  day  at  West  Point  ap- 
parent noon.  When  it  was  about  time  for  the  sun's 
limb  to  begin  its  transit  of  the  wires,  the  cadet  took 
position  to  observe  it.  The  instructor  was  standing 
ready  to  record  the  times  of  transit  over  each  wire. 
Time  was  rapidly  passing,  and  not  yet  had  "the  cadet 
called  out  "  Ready."  The  anxious  instructor  cau- 
tiously queried : 

"  Do  you  see  any  light,  Mr.  P 2" 

"No,  sir." 

"  Can  you  see  the  wires  V 

"  ISTo,  sir,  not  yet." 

"  Any  light  yet,  Mr.  P i" 

"  Yes,  sir,  it  is  getting  brigliter" 

"  Can  you  see  the  wires  at  all  V 

"No,  sir;  it  Iceeps  getting  brighter,  but  I  carJt 
see  the  wires  yet." 

Fearing  he  might  be  unable  to  make  his  observa- 
tions that  day  unless  the  difficulty  was  speedily  re- 
moved, the  instructor  himself  took  position  at  the 
transit,  and  made  the  ridiculous  discovery  that  the 
cap  had  not  been  removed  from  the  farther  end  of 
the  telescope,  and  yet  it  kept  getting  brighter. 

One  day  in  the  early  summer  of  1875,  a  cadet 
was  showing  a  young  lady  the  various  sights  and 
wonders  at  West  Point,  when  they  came  across  an 
old  French  cannon  bearing  this  inscription,  viz., 
"Charles  de  Bourbon,  Compte  d'Eu,  ultima  ratio 
return. " 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  237 

She  was  the  first  to  notice  it,  and  astonished  the 
cadet  with  the  following  rendition  of  it : 

"  I  suppose  that  means  Charles  Bourbon  made  the 
gun,  and  the  Spanish  (?)  that  the  artilleryman  must 
have  his  rations." 

What  innocence  !     Or  shall  I  say,  what  ignorance  ? 

"  The  authorities  of  West  Point  have  entered  an 
interdict  against  the  cadets  loaning  their  sashes  and 
other  military  adornments  to  young  ladies,  and  great 
is  the  force  of  feminine  indignation."  Summer  of 
1873. 

COME  KISS  ME,    LOVE. 

A  young  lieutenant  at  the  Academy  and  his 
fiancee  were  seen  by  an  old  maid  at  the  hotel  to  kiss 
each  other.  At  the  first  opportunity  she  reproved 
the  fair  damsel  for,  to  her,  such  unmaidenly  con- 
duct. With,  righteous  indignation  she  repelled  the 
reproof  as  follows  : 

"  Not  let  S kiss  me  !     Why,  I  should  die  !" 

Then  lovingly, 

"  Come  kiss  me,  love,  list  not  ■what  they  say, 
Their  passions  are  cold,  wasted  away. 
They  know  not  how  two  hearts  like  ours  are 
Long  to  mingle  i'  the  sweetness  o'  the  kiss, 
That  like  the  soft  light  of  a  heavenly  star, 
As  it  wanders  from  its  world  to  this, 
Diffuses  itself  through  ev'ry  vein 
And  meets  on  the  lips  to  melt  again." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

GRADUATION — I1ST   THE  ARMY. 

"  Patience  is  bitter,  but  its  fruit  is  sweet." 

"TV  /TY  four  years  were  drawing  to  a  close.  They 
J_V_L  }ia(j  been  years  of  patient  endurance  and  hard 
and  persistent  work,  interspersed  with  bright  oases 
of  happiness  and  gladness  and  joy,  as  well  as  weary 
barren  wastes  of  loneliness,  isolation,  unhappiness, 
and  melancholy.  I  believe  I  have  discharged — I 
know  I  have  tried  to  do  so — every  duty  faithfully 
and  conscientiously.  It  had  been  a  sort  of  bitter- 
sweet experience,  this  experimental  life  of  mine  at 
West  Point.  It  was  almost  over,  and  whatever  of 
pure  sweetness,  whatever  of  happiness,  or  whatever 
reward  fortune  had  in  store  for  me,  was  soon  to  be- 
come known. 

11  Speaking  of  the  Military  Academy,  we  under- 
stand that  the  only  colored  cadet  now  at  West  Point 
will  not  only  graduate  at  the  coming  June  commence- 
ment, but  that  his  character,  acquirements,  and  stand- 
ing on  the  merit  roll  are  such  as  will  insure  his  grad- 
uation among  the  highest  of  his  class." — Harpef  s 
Weekly,  April  28th,  1877. 

All  recitations  of  the  graduating  class  were  dis- 
continued on  the  last  scholar  day  of  May.  On  June 
1st  examination  began.  The  class  was  first  examined 
in  mineralogy  and  geology.     In  this  particular  sub- 


=2 


'.  V 


/D" 


6LA 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  239 

ject  I  "maxedit,"  made  a  thorough,  recitation.  I 
was  required  to  discuss  the  subject  of  "  Mesozoic 
Time."  After  I  had  been  examined  in  this  subject 
Bishop  Quintard,  of  Tennessee,  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Visitors,  sent  for  me,  and  personally  congra- 
tulated me  on  my  recitation  of  that  day,  as  well  as  for 
my  conduct  during  the  whole  four  years.  My  hopes 
never  were  higher  ;  I  knew  I  would  graduate.  I  felt 
it,  and  I  made  one  last  effort  for  rank.  I  wanted  to 
graduate  as  high  up  as  possible.  I  was  not  without 
.success,  as  will  subsequently  appear.  The  New 
York  Herald  was  pleased  to  speak  as  follows  of  my 
recitation  in  mineralogy  and  geology  : 

"  To-day  the  examination  of  the  first  class  in  mineralogy  and  geol- 
ogy was  completed,  and  the  first  section  was  partially  examined  in 
engineering.  In  the  former  studies  the  class  acquitted  themselves  in  a 
highly  creditable  manner,  and  several  members  have  shown  them- 
selves possessed  of  abilities  far  above  the  average.  The  class  has  in 
its  ranks  a  son  of  General  B.  F.  Butler,  Hon.  John  Bigelow's  son, 
and  sons  of  two  ex -Confederate  officers.  Flipper,  the  colored  cadet, 
was  examined  to-day,  and  produced  a  highly  favorable  impression 
upon  the  board  not  less  by  his  ready  and  intelligent  recitation  than 
by  his  modest,  unassuming,  and  gentlemanly  manner.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  he  will  pass,  and  he  is  said  to  have  already  ordered  a  cav- 
alry uniform,  showing  that  he  has  a  predilection  for  that  branch  of 
the  service." 

The  class  was  next  examined  in  law.  In  this, 
also,  I  exceeded  my  most  sanguine  expectations, 
again  "  maxing  it"  on  a  thorough  recitation.  My 
subject  was  "  Domicile."  Senator  Maxey,  of  the 
Board  of  Visitors,  questioned  me  closely.  The 
Bishop  of  Tennessee  left  his  seat  in  the  board,  came 
outside  when  the  section  was  dismissed,  and  shook 
my  hand  in  hearty  congratulation.     These  were  the 


240  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

proudest  moments  of  my  life.  Even  some  of  my 
own  classmates  congratulated  me  on  this  recitation. 
All  that  loneliness,  dreariness,  and  melancholy  of  the 
four  years  gone  was  forgotten.  I  lived  only  in  the 
time  being  and  was  happy.  I  was  succeeding,  and 
was  meeting  with  that  success  which  humble  effort 
never  fails  to  attain. 

The  New  York  Tribune  joins  in  with  its  good 
words  as  follows  : 

LIEUTENANT   FLIPPER,  THE   COLORED    GRADUATE   OF  WEST 

POINT. 

"  The  examination  of  the  first  class  in  law  will  be  completed  to- 
morrow. The  sections  thus  far  called  up  have  clone  very  well.  The 
colored  cadet,  Flipper,  passed  uncommonly  well  this  morning,  show- 
ing a  practical  knowledge  of  the  subject  very  satisfactory  to  Senator 
Maxey,  who  questioned  him  closely,  and  to  the  rest  of  the  board. 
He  has  a  good  command  of  plain  and  precise  English,  and  his  voice 
is  full  and  pleasant.  Mr.  Flipper  will  be  graduated  next  week  with 
the  respect  of  his  instructors,  and  not  the  less  of  his  fellows,  who 
have  carefully  avoided  intercourse  with  him.  The  quiet  dignity 
which  he  has  shown  during  this  long  isolation  of  four  years  has  been 
really  remarkable.  Until  another  of  his  race,  now  in  one  of  the  lower 
classes,  arrived,  Flipper  scarcely  heard  the  sound  of  his  own  voice 
except  in  recitation,  and  it  is  to  be  feared  that  unless  he  is  detailed  at 
Howard  University,  which  has  been  mentioned  as  possible,  his  trials 
have  only  begun." 

The  class  was  next  examined  in  civil  and  military 
engineering.  In  this  also  I  did  as  well  as  in  either 
of  the  other  studies.  I  made  a  thorough  recitation. 
I  was  required  to  explain  what  is  meant  by  an  "  order 
of  battle,"  and  to  illustrate  by  the  battles  of  Zama, 
Pharsalia,  and  Leuctra. 

THE    COLORED    CADET. 

"  Flipper,  the  colored  cadet  from  South  Carolina,  was  up  this 
afternoon  and  acquitted  himself  remarkably  well.     Some  time  since 


THE   COLORED    CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  241 

he  was  recommended  for  a  higher  grade  than  the  one  he  holds,  and 
his  performance  today  gained  him  a  still  higher  standing  in  the 
class." 

In  ordnance  and  gunnery  the  class  was  next  ex- 
amined. In  this  I  was  less  successful.  I  was  to 
assume  one  of  Captain  Didion's  equations  of  the 
trajectory  in  air,  and  determine  the  angle  of  projec- 
tion represented  by  <f>,  and  the  range  represented  by 
x  in  the  following  equation  : 

y  =  x  tern.  $  -  -jyr  B' 

and  to  explain  the  construction  and  use  of  certain 
tables  used  in  connection  with  it.  I  made  a  fair 
recitation,  but  one  by  no  means  'satisfactory  to  my- 
self. I  lost  four  files  on  it  at  least.  A  good  recita- 
tion in  ordnance  and  gunnery  would  have  brought 
me  out  forty-five  or  six  instead  of  fifty.  I  did  not 
make  it,  and  it  was  too  late  to  better  it.  This  was 
the  last  of  our  examination.  It  ended  on  the  11th 
day  of  June.  On  the  14th  we  were  graduated  and 
received  our  diplomas. 

During  the  examination  I  received  letters  of  con- 
gratulation in  every  mail.     Some  of  them  may  not 
be  uninteresting.     I  give  a  few  of  them  : 

Post-Office  Department,  Room  48,         ) 
Washington,  D.  C,  June  3,  1877.  J 

My  dear  Mr.  Flipper  :  It  has  been  four  years  since  I  last  ad- 
dressed you.  Then  you  had  just  entered  the  Academy  with  other 
young  colored  men,  who  have  since  dropped  by  the  way.  I  was  at 
that  time  the  editor  of  the  Era  in  this  city,  and  wrote  an  article  on 
West  Point  and  snoboeracy,  which  you  may  remember  reading. 

I  felt  a  thrill  of  pleasure  here  the  other  day  when  I  read  your 
name  as  the  first  graduate  from  the  Academy.     I  take  this  oppor- 


24:2      THE  COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

tunity  of  writing  you  again  to  extend  my  hearty  congratulations,  and 
trust  your  future  career  may  be  as  successful  as  your  academic  one. 
"  My  boy,"  Whittaker,  lias,  I  am  told,  been  rooming  with  you,  and  I 
trust  has  been  getting  much  benefit  from  the  association. 
I  am,  your  friend  and  well-wisher, 

Richard  T.  Greener. 

42  Broad  Street,  New  York,  June  4,  1877. 
Cadet  Henry  O.  Flipper, 

West  Point,  If.  Y.  : 
Dear  Sir  :  I  have  been  much  pleased  reading  the  complimentary 
references  to  your  approaching  graduation  which  have  appeared  in 
the  New  York  papers  the  past  week.  I  beg  to  congratulate  you 
most  heartily,  and  I  sincerely  trust  that  the  same  intelligence  and 
pluck  which  has  enabled  you  to  successfully  complete  your  academic 
course  may  be  shown  in  a  still  higher  degree  in  the  new  sphere  of 
duty  soon  to  be  entered  upon. 

I  inclose  an  editorial  from  to-day's  Tribune. 
Respectfully, 


Department  of  the  Interior,  ) 

United  States  Patent  Office,         > 

Washington,  D.  C,  June  5,  1877.  ) 

Henry  O.  Flipper,  Esq., 

U.  8.  Military  Academy,  West  Point,  JV.  Y.  : 

Dear  Sir  :  Having  noticed  in  the  daily  papers  of  this  city  an 
account  of  the  successful  termination  of  your  course  at  the  Military 
Academy,  we  hasten  to  tender  you  our  sincere  congratulations. 

We  are  prompted  to  this  act  by  an  experimental  knowledge  of  the 
social  ostracism  and  treacherous  duplicity  to  which  you  must  have 
been  made  the  unhappy  victim  during  the  long  years  of  faithful  study 
through  which  you  have  just  passed. 

We  congratulate  you  upon  the  moral  courage  and  untiring  energy 
which  must  have  been  yours,  to  enable  you  to  successfully  battle 
against  the  immeasurable  influence  of  the  prejudice  shown  to  all  of 
us  at  both  of  our  national  schools.  We  hail  your  success  as  a 
national  acknowledgment,  in  a  new  way,  of  the  mental  and  moral 
worth  of  our  race  ;  and  we  feel  amply  repaid  for  the  many  privations 
we  have  undergone  in  the  naval  branch  of  our  service,  in  noting  the 


THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  243 

fact  that  one  of  us  has  been  permitted  to  successfully  stand  the  try- 
ing ordeal. 

Trusting  that  the  same  firmness  of  purpose  and  untiring  energy, 
which  have  characterized  your  stay  there,  may  ever  be  true  of  your 
future  career  on  the  field  and  at  the  hearth  side, 

We  remain,  very  truly  yours, 


Post-Office,  New  York  City, '1ST.  Y.  ) 

Office  of  the  Postmaster,         >• 

Wednesday,  June  7,  1877. ) 

My  dear  Friend  :  Let  me  extend  to  you  my  full  gratitude  upon 
your  success  at  West  Point.  I  was  overjoyed  when  I  saw  it.  My 
friends  are  delighted  with  you,  and  they  desire  to  see  you  when  you 
come  down.  Let  me  know  when  you  think  you  will  leave  West 
Point,  and  I  will  look  out  for  you. 

Very  truly  yours, 


Henry  O.  Flipper,  Esq., 

West  Point  Military  Academy. 

Washington,  D.  C,  June  13,  1877. 
Henry  O.  Flipper,  Esq., 

West  Point,  N.  Y.  : 
My  dear  Friend  :  I  wish  to  congratulate  you  upon  passing  suc- 
cessfully your  final  examination,  and  salute  you  as  the  first  young 
colored  man  who  has  had  the  manhood  and  courage  to  struggle 
through  and  overcome  every  obstacle.  So  many  of  our  young  men 
had  failed  that  I  wondered  if  you  would  be  able  to  withstand  all  the 
opposition  you  met  with,  whether  you  could  endure  the  kind  of  life 
they  mete  out  to  our  young  men  at  our  national  Military  Academy. 
I  rejoice  to  know  that  you  have  won  this  important  victory  over 
prejudice  and  caste.  This  will  serve  you  in  good  stead  through  many 
a  conflict  in  life.  Your  path  will  not  be  all  strewn  with  roses  ;  some- 
thing of  that  caste  and  prejudice  will  still  pursue  you  as  you  enter 
the  broader  arena  of  military  life,  but  you  must  make  up  your  mind 
to  live  it  down,  and  your  first  victory  will  greatly  aid  you  in  this 
direction.  One  thing,  allow  me  to  impress  upon  you  :  you  are  not 
fighting  your  own  battle,  but  you  are  fighting  the  battle  of  a  strug- 
gling people  ;  and  for  this  reason,  my  dear  Flipper,  resolve  now  in 


244  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

your  deepest  soul  that  come  what  may  you  will  never  surrender  ; 
that  you  will  never  succumb.  Others  may  leave  the  service  for  more 
lucrative  pursuits  ;  your  duty  to  your  people  and  to  yourself  demand 
that  you  remain. 

Be  assured  that  whatever  you  do,  wherever  you  may  go,  you 
always  have  my  deepest  sympathy  and  best  wishes. 

I  return  to  Europe  in  a  few  weeks. 

Cordially  yours, 


Even  the  cadets  and  other  persons  connected 
with  the  Academy  congratulated  me.  Oh  how  happy 
I  was  !  I  prized  these  good  words  of  the  cadets 
above  all  others.  They  knew  me  thoroughly.  They 
meant  what  they  said,  and  I  felt  I  was  in  some  sense 
deserving  of  all  I  received  from  them  by  way  of  con- 
gratulation. Several  visited  my  quarters.  They  did 
not  hesitate  to  speak  to  me  or  shake  hands  with  me 
before  each  other  or  any  one  else.  All  signs  of 
ostracism  were  gone.  All  felt  as  if  I  was  worthy  of 
some  regard,  and  did  not  fail  to  extend  it  to  me. 

At  length,  on  June  14th,  I  received  the  reward  of 
my  labors,  my  "  sheepskin,"  the  United  States  Mil- 
itary Academy  Diploma,  that  glorious  passjoort  to 
honor  and  distinction,  if  the  bearer  do  never  dis- 
grace it. 

Here  is  the  manner  of  ceremony  we  had  on  that 
day,  as  reported  in  the  New  York  Times  : 

"  The  concluding  ceremony  in  the  graduation  exercises  at  the  West 
Point  Academy  took  place  this  morning,  when  the  diplomas  were 
awarded  to  the  graduates.  The  ceremony  took  place  in  the  open  air 
under  the  shadow  of  the  maple  trees,  which  form  almost  a  grove  in 
front  of  the  Academy  building.  Seats  had  been  arranged  here  for  the 
spectators,  so  as  to  leave  a  hollow  square,  on  one  side  of  which,  be- 
hind a  long  table,  sat  the  various  dignitaries  who  were  to  take  "part 
in  the  proceedings.     la  front  of  them,  seat9  were  arranged  for  the 


THE   COLOKED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  245 

graduating  class.  The  cadets  formed  line  in  front  of  the  barracks 
at  10.30,  and,  preceded  by  the  band  playing  a  stirring  air,  marched 
to  the  front  of  the  Academy  building.  The  first  class  came  without 
their  arms  ;  the  other  classes  formed  a  sort  of  escort  of  honor  to 
them.  The  graduating  class  having  taken  their  seats,  the  other 
classes  stacked  arms  and  remained  standing  in  line  around  the 
square.  The  proceedings  were  opened  by  an  address  from  Professor 
Thompson,  of  the  School  of  Technology,  Worcester  Mass.,  who  is 
the  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Visitors." 

And  thus  after  four  years  of  constant  work  amid 
many  difficulties  did  I  obtain  my  reward. 

"Lieutenant  H.  O.  Flipper  was  the  only  cadet  who  received  the 
cheers  of  the  assembled  multitude  at  West  Point  upon  receiving  his 
parchment.  How  the  fellows  felt  who  couldn't  associate  with  him 
we  do  not  know  ;  but  as  the  old  Christian  woman  said,  they 
'  couldn't  a  been  on  the  mountain  top.'  " — Christian  Recorder. 

Victor  Hugo  says  somewhere  in  his  works  that  he 
who  drains  a  marsh  must  necessarily  expect  to  hear 
the  frogs  croak.  I  had  graduated,  and  of  course  the 
newspapers  had  to  have  a  say  about  it.  Some  of  the 
articles  are  really  amusing.  I  couldn't  help  laugh- 
ing at  them  when  I  read  them.  Here  is  something 
from  the  New  York  Herald  which  is  literally  true  : 

"MR,  BLAINE    AND   THE   COLORED    CADET. 

"  Senator  James  G.  Blaine,  with  his  wife  and  daughter  and  Miss 
Dodge  ('  Gail  Hamilton  ')  left  at  noon  yesterday  in  anticipation  of 
the  rush.  Before  going  the  Senator  did  a  very  gracious  and  kindly 
deed  in  an  unostentatious  way.  Sending  for  Flipper,  the  colored 
cadet,  he  said  : 

"  '  I  don't  know  that  you  have  any  political  friends  in  your  own 
State,  Mr.  Flipper,  and  you  may  find  it  necessary  to  have  an  inter- 
mediary in  Congress  to  help  you  out  of  your  difficulties.  I  want  you 
to  consider  me  your  friend,  and  call  upon  me  for  aid  when  you  need 
it.' 

"  With  that  he  shook  the  lad's  hand  and  bade  him  good-by. 
11 


2-iO  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

"Bishop  Quintard,  of  Tennessee,  and  Senator  Maxey,  of  Texas, 
also  complimented  the  pioneer  graduate  of  the  colored  race  upon  his 
conduct  throughout  the  four  years  of  his  training,  and  proffered  their 
sympathy  and  assistance.  With  these  encouragements  from  promi- 
nent men  of  both  political  parties  the  young  man  seemed  deeply 
touched,  and  thanking  them  suitably  he  returned  with  a  light  heart 
to  his  quarters." 

It  was  so  very  kind  of  the  distinguished  senators 
and  bishop.  I  valued  these  congratulations  almost 
as  much  as  my  diploma.  They  were  worth  working 
and  enduring  for. 

The  New  York  Herald  again  speaks,  and  that 
about  not  hearing  my  voice,  etc.,  made  me  "  larf." 
Here  is  the  article  : 

"THE    COLORED    CADET'S   EXPERIENCE   AND    PROSPECTS. 

"Flipper,  the  colored  cadet,  who  graduates  pretty  well  up  in  his 
class,  said  to  me  to-day  that  he  is  determined  to  get  into  either  the 
Ninth  or  Tenth  colored  cavalry  regiment  if  possible.  He  seems  to 
be  very  happy  in  view  of  the  honorable  close  of  his  academic  career, 
and  entertains  little  doubt  that  he  can  procure  the  appointment  he 
wishes.  "When  asked  whether  he  was  not  aware  that  there  was  a 
law  providing  that  even  colored  troops  must  be  officered  by  white 
men,  he  replied  that  he  had  heard  something  of  that  years  ago,  but 
did  not  think  it  was  true.  'If  there  is  such  a  law, '  he  said  emphat- 
ically, but  with  good  humor,  '  it  is  unconstitutional  and  cannot  be 
enforced. '  He  added  that  several  weeks  ago  he  wrote  to  a  promi- 
nent gentleman  in  Alabama  to  inquire  what  the  existing  law  on  the 
subject  was,  and  had  not  yet  received  an  answer.  I  questioned  him 
about  his  experience  in  the  Academy,  and  he  said  that  he  had  suffered 
but  little  on  account  of  his  race.  The  first  year  was  very  hard,  as 
the  class  all  made  their  dislike  manifest  in  a  variety  of  ways. 
'  That, '  he  said,  '  was  in  a  great  measure  caused  by  the  bad  con- 
duct of  Smith,  the  colored  cadet  who  preceded  me.  W  hen  the  class 
found  out  that  I  was  not  like  him,  they  treated  me  well.  The  profes- 
sors act  toward  me  in  every  respect  as  toward  the  others,  and  the  cadets, 
I  think,  do  not  dislike  me.  But  they  don't  associate  with  me.  I 
don't  care  for  that.     If  they  don't  want  to  speak  to  me  I  don't  want 


THE   COLOBED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  247 

them  to,  I'm  sure.'  Save  in  the  recitation-room  Flipper  never  heard 
the  sound  of  his  own  voice  for  months  and  months  at  a  time  ;  but  he 
was  kept  so  hard  at  work  all  the  time  that  he  did  not  mind  it.  If  he 
should  join  a  regiment,  however,  he  would  be  more  alone  even  than 
he  has  been  here,  for  the  association  with  other  officers  in  the  line  of 
duty  would  not  be  so  close  as  it  has  been  with  the  cadets.  He  would 
be  isolated — ostracized — and  he  would  feel  it  more  keenly,  because 
he  would  have  more  leisure  for  social  intercourse,  and  his  mind 
would  not  be  so  occupied  as  it  has  been  here  with  studies. 

"  Senator  Blaine,  in  the  course  of  a  conversation  last  night,  thought 
the  career  of  Flipper  would  be  to  go  South  and  become  a  leader  of 
his  race.  He  could  in  that  way  become  famous,  and  could  accom- 
plish much  good  for  the  country. "  .  .  .  . 

When  I  entered  trie  Academy  I  saw  in  a  paper 
something  about  colored  officers  being  put  in  white 
regiments,  etc.  It  purported  to  be  a  conversation 
with  the  then  Secretary  of  War,  who  said  there  was 
such  a  law,  and  that  it  would  be  enforced.  The 
then  Secretary  of  War  has  since  told  me  he  was  sure 
there  was  such  a  law,  until  to  satisfy  himself  he 
searched  the  Revised  Statutes,  when  he  found  he  was 
mistaken. 

I  have  mentioned  elsewhere  the  untruthfulness  of 
the  statement  that  I  never  heard  my  own  voice  ex- 
cept in  the  recitation-room.  Every  one  must  know 
that  could  not  be  true.  The  statement  is  hardly 
worth  a  passing  remark. 

"If  he  should  join  a  regiment,  however,"  etc. 
Ah  !  well,  I  have  joined  my  regiment  long  ago.  Let 
me  say,  before  I  go  further,  I  am  putting  this  man- 
uscript in  shape  for  the  press,  and  doing  it  in  my 
quarters  at  Fort  Sill,  I.  T.  These  remarks  are  in- 
serted apropos  of  this  article.  From  the  moment  I 
reached  Sill  I  haven't  experienced  any  thing  but  hap- 
piness.    I  am  not  isolated.     I  am  not  ostracized  by 


248  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

a  single  officer.  I  do  not  "  feel  it  more  keenly,"  be- 
cause what  the  Herald  said  is  not  true.  The 
Herald,  like  other  papers,  forgets  that  the  army  is 
officered  by  men  who  are  presumably  officers  and 
gentlemen.  Those  who  are  will  treat  me  as  become 
gentlemen,  as  they  do,  and  those  who  are  not  I 
will  thank  if  they  will  "  ostracize"  me,  for  if  they 
don't  I  will  certainly  "  ostracize"  them. 

"  But  to  get  into  a  cavalry  regiment  is  the  highest  ambition  of  most 
cadets,  and  failing  in  that  it  is  almost  a  toss-up  between  the  infantry 
and  the  artillery.  Flipper,  the  South  Carolina  colored  cadet,  wants 
to  get  into  the  cavalry,  and  as  there  is  a  black  regiment  of  that  char- 
acter he  will,  it  is  thought,  be  assigned  to  that.  There  is  in  existence 
a  law  specifying  that  even  black  regiments  shall  be  officered  by  white 
men,  and  it  is  thought  there  will  be  some  trouble  in  assigning  Flip- 
per. As  any  such  law  is  in  opposition  to  the  constitutional  amend- 
ments, of  course  it  will  be  easily  rescinded.  From  the  disposition 
shown  by  most  of  the  enlisted  men  with  whom  I  have  conversed  at 
odd  times  upon  this  subject,  I  fancy  that  if  Flipper  were  appointed  to 
the  command  of  white  soldiers  they  would  be  restive,  and  would,  if 
out  upon  a  scout,  take  the  first  opportunity  to  shoot  him  ;  and  this 
feeling  exists  even  among  men  here  who  have  learned  to  respect  him 
for  what  he  is." 

Now  that  is  laughable,  isn't  it  \  What  he  says 
about  the  soldiers  at  West  Point  is  all  "  bosh."  No- 
body will  believe  it.  I  don't.  I  wish  the  Herald 
reporter  who  wrote  the  above  would  visit  Fort  Sill 
and  ask  some  of  the  white  soldiers  there  what  they 
think  of  me.  I  am  afraid  the  Herald  didn't  get  its 
"gift  of  prophecy"  from  the  right  place.  Such 
blunders  are  wholly  inexcusable.  The  Herald  re- 
porter deserves  an  "extra"  (vide  Cant  Terms,  etc.) 
for  that.  I  wish  he  could  get  one  at  any  rate.  Per- 
haps, however,  the  following  will  excuse  him.  It  is 
true. 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  249 

"  He  is  spoken  of  by  all  the  officers  as  a  hard  student  and  a  gentle- 
man. To  a  very  great  extent  he  has  conquered  the  prejudices  of  his 
fellows,  and  although  they  still  decline  to  associate  with  him  it  is 
evident  that  they  respect  him.  Said  one  of  his  class  this  morning  : 
'  Flipper  has  certainly  shown  pluck  and  gentlemanly  qualities,  and  I 
shall  certainly  shake  his  "  flipper"  when  we  say  "  Good-by."  "We 
have  no  feeling  against  him  at  all,  but  we  could  not  associate  with 
him.  Tou  see  we  are  so  crowded  together  here  that  we  are  just  like 
one  family,  possessing  every  thing  in  common  and  borrowing  every 
thing,  even  to  a  pair  of  white  trousers,  and  we  could  not  hold  such 
intimate  fellowship  with  him.  It  may  be  prejudice,  but  we  could 
not  do  it ;  so  we  simply  let  him  alone,  and  he  has  lived  to  himself, 
except  when  we  drill  with  him.  Feel  bad  about  it  ?  Well,  I  sup- 
pose he  did  at  first,  but  he  has  got  used  to  it  now.  The  boys  were 
rather  afraid  that  when  he  should  come  to  hold  the  position  as  officer 
of  the  guard  that  he  would  swagger  over  them,  but  he  showed  good 
sense  and  taste,  merely  assuming  the  rank  formally  and  leaving  his 
junior  to  carry  out  the  duty.'  " 

That  glorious  day  of  graduation  marked  a  new 
epoch  in  my  military  life.  Then  my  fellow-cadets 
and  myself  forgot  the  past.  Then  they  atoned  for 
past  conduct  and  welcomed  me  as  one  of  them  as 
well  as  one  among  them. 

I  must  revert  to  that  Herald?  s  article  just  to 
show  how  absurd  it  is  to  say  I  never  heard  the  sound 
of  my  own  voice  except  in  the  section-room.  I  heard 
it  at  reveille,  at  breakfast,  dinner,  and  supper  roll- 
calls,  at  the  table,  at  taps,  and  at  every  parade  I  at- 
tended during  the  day — in  all  no  less  than  ten  or 
twelve  times  every  single  day  during  the  four  years. 
Of  course  I  heard  it  in  other  places,  as  I  have  ex- 
plained elsewhere.  I  always  had  somebody  to  talk 
to  every  single  day  I  was  at  the  Academy.  "Why,  I 
was  the  happiest  man  in  the  institution,  except  when 
I'd  get  brooding  over  my  loneliness,  etc.  Such 
moments  would  come,  when  it  would  seem  nothing 


250  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

would  interest  me.  When  they  were  gone  I  was 
again  as  cheerful  and  as  happy  as  ever.  I  learned 
to  hate  holidays.  At  those  times  the  other  cadets 
would  go  off  skating,  rowing,  or  visiting.  I  had  no 
where  to  go  except  to  walk  around  the  grounds, 
which  I  sometimes  did.  I  more  often  remained  in 
my  quarters.  At  these  times  barracks  would  be 
deserted  and  I  would  get  so  lonely  and  melancholy  I 
wouldn't  know  what  to  do.  It  was  on  an  occasion 
like  this  —  Thanksgiving  Day — I  wrote  the  words 
given  in  another  place,  beginning, 

"  Oh  !  'tis  hard  this  lonely  living,  to  be 
In  the  midst  of  life  so  solitary,"  etc. 

Here  is  something  from  Harper*  s  Weekly.  The 
northern  press  generally  speak  in  the  same  "tenor  of 
my  graduation. 

"  Inman  Edward  Page,  a  colored  student  at  Brown  University,  has 
succeeded  in  every  respect  better  than  his  brother  Flipper  at  West 
Point.  While  a  rigid  non-intercourse  law  was  for  four  years  maintained 
between  Flipper  and  the  nascent  warriors  at  the  Military  Academy, 
Page  has  lived  in  the  largest-leaved  clover  at  Brown,  and  in  the 
Senior  year  just  closed  was  chosen  Class-day  Orator — a  position  so 
much  coveted  among  students  ambitious  for  class  honors  that  it  is 
ranked  by  many  even  higher  than  the  Salutatory  or  the  Valedictory. 
Page  has  throughout  been  treated  by  his  classmates  as  one  of  them- 
selves. He  is  a  good  writer  and  speaker,  though  not  noticeably  bet- 
ter than  some  of  his  classmates.  His  conduct  has  been  uniformly 
modest  but  self-respectful,  and  he  had  won  the  esteem  of  professors 
as  well  as  students.  The  deportment  of  his  class  toward  him  is  in 
high  and  honorable  contrast  with  that  pursued  by  the  less  manly  stu- 
dents supported  by  the  government  at  West  Point,  who  may  have 
already  learned  that  the  '  plain  people  '  of  the  country  are  with  Flip- 
per." 

Here  is  something  of  a  slightly  different  kind 
from  a  Georgia  paper  — •  Augusta  Chronicle    and 


THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  251 

Constitutionalist.     Its  tone  betrays  the  locality  of 
its  birth. 

"Benjamin  F.  Butler,  Jr.,  who  graduated  at  West  Point  last  sum- 
mer in  the  same  class  "with  the  colored  cadet  from  Georgia,  Flipper, 
has  been  assigned  for  duty  to  the  Ninth  Cavalry,  the  same  regiment 
to  which  Flipper  is  attached.  The  enlisted  men  in  this  regiment 
are  all  negroes.  Ben,  senior,  doubtless  engineered  the  assignment  in 
order  to  make  himself  solid  with  the  colored  voters  of  the  South. 
Ben,  like  old  Joe  Bagstock,  is  devilish  sly." 

It  is  in  error  as  to  my  assignment.  Lieutenant 
Butler  (whose  name,  by  the  way,  is  not  Benjamin  F., 
Jr.)  was  assigned  to  the  Ninth  Cavalry.  Here  is  the 
truth  about  my  assignment,  given  in  the  Sing  Sing 
(N.  Y.)  Republican  : 

"  Cadet  Flipper  has  been  appointed  to  the  Tenth  U.  S.  Cavalry 
(colored),  now  in  Texas.  Secretary  of  State  Bigelow's  son  has  also  been 
assigned  to  the  same  regiment.  We  wonder  if  the  non-intercourse 
between  the  two  at  West  Point  will  be  continued  in  the  army.  Both 
have  the  same  rank  and  are  entitled  to  the  same  privileges.  Possibly 
a  campaign  among  the  Indians,  or  a  brush  with  the  '  Greasers '  on 
the  Rio  Grande,  will  equalize  the  complexion  of  the  two." 

The  National  Monitor,  of  Brooklyn  (1ST.  Y.),  has 
this  much  to  say.  It  may  be  worth  some  study  by 
the  cadets  now  at  the  Academy. 

"Lieutenant  Flipper,  colored,  a  recent  graduate  from  West  Point, 
is  a  modest  gentleman,  and  no  grumbler.  He  says  that  privately  he 
was  treated  by  fellow-cadets  with  proper  consideration,  but  reluc- 
tantly admits  that  he  was  publicly  slighted.  He  can  afford  to  be  un- 
troubled and  magnanimous.  How  is  it  with  his  fellows  ?  Will  not 
shame  ere  long  mantle  their  cheeks  at  the  recollection  of  this  lack  of 
moral  courage  on  their  part  ?  A  quality  far  more  to  be  desired  than 
any  amount  of  physical  heroism  they  may  ever  exhibit." 

Here  is  something  extra  good  from  the  Hudson 
Miver  Chronicle,  of  Sing  Sing.     To  all  who  want  to 


252  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

know  the  truth  about  me  physically,  I  refer  them 
to  this  article.  I  refer  particularly  to  the  editor  of  a 
certain  New  Orleans  paper,  who  described  me  as  a 
"  little  bow-legged  grif  of  the  most  darkly  coppery 
hue." 

"For  a  few  days  past  Lieutenant  Henry  O.  Flipper,  the  colored 
cadet  who  graduated  from  West  Point  Academy  last  week,  has  been 
the  guest  of  Professor  John  W.  Hoffman,  of  this  place.  Lieutenant 
Flipper  is  a  native  of  Atlanta,  Georgia,  whence  General  Sherman 
commenced  that  glorious  march  to  the  sea  which  "proved  what  a  hol- 
low shell  the  Southern  Confederacy  really  was.  The  lieutenant  evi- 
dently has  a  large  strain  of  white  blood  in  his  veins,  and  could  proba- 
bly, if  so  disposed,  trace  descent  from  the  F.  F's.  He  stands  six  feet, 
is  well  proportioned,  has  a  keen,  quick  eye,  a  gentlemanly  address, 
and  a  soldierly  bearing.  He  goes  from  here  to  his  home  in  Georgia, 
ou  a  leave  of  absence  which  extends  to  the  first  of  November,  when 
he  will  join  the  Tenth  Cavalry,  to  which  he  has  been  assigned  as  Sec- 
ond Lieutenant.  This  assignment  shows  that  Lieutenant  Flipper  stood 
above  the  average  of  the  graduating  class,  as  the  cavalry  is  the  next 
to  the  highest  grade  in  the  service — only  the  Engineer  Corps  taking 
precedence  of  the  cavalry  arm. 

"  For  four  long  years  Cadet  Flipper  has  led  an  isolated  life  at  the 
Point — without  one  social  companion,  being  absolutely  ostracized  by 
his  white  classmates.     As  much  as  any  mortal,  he  can  say  : 

"  !  In  the  crowd 
They  would  not  deem  me  one  of  such  ;  I  stood 
Among  them,  but  not  of  them  ;"in  a  shroud 
Of  thoughts  which  were  not  their  thoughts.' 

"  There  must  have  been  much  of  inherent  manhood  in  a  boy  that 
could  stand  that  long  ordeal,  and  so  bear  himself  at  the  close  that, 
when  his  name  was  pronounced  among  the  graduates,  the  fair  women 
and  brave  men  who  had  gathered  to  witness  the  going  out  into  the 
world  of  the  nation's  wards,  with  one  accord  greeted  the  lone  student 
with  a  round  of  applause  that  welcomed  none  others  of  the  class,  and 
that  could  call  from  Speaker  Blaine  the  strong  assurance  that  if  he 
ever  needed  a  friend  he  might  trustingty  call  on  him. 

"  '  The  path  of  glory  leads  but  to  the  grave,'  but  we  venture  the 
prediction  that  Lieutenant  Flipper  will  tread  that  path  as  fearlessly 
and  as  promptly  as  any  of  his  comrades  of  the  '  Class  of  '77.'  " 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  253 

Here  is  an  editorial  article  from  the  ]STew  York 
Tribune.  It  needs  no  comment,  nor  do  the  two 
following,  which  were  clipped  from  the  Christian 
Union. 

LIEUTENANT   FLIPPER. 

"  Among  the  West  Point  graduates  this  year  is  young  Flipper,  a  lad 
of  color  and  of  African  descent.  It  is  stated  that  he  acquitted  him- 
self very  respectably  in  his  examination  by  the  Board  of  Visitors, 
that  he  'will  pass  creditably,  and  that  he  will  go  into  the  cavalry, 
which  is  rather  an  aristocratic  branch,  we  believe,  of  the  service. 
Mr.  Flipper  must  have  had  rather  a  hard  time  of  it  during  his  under- 
graduate career,  if,  as  we  find  it  stated,  most  if  not  all  his  white  fel- 
low-students have  declined  to  associate  with  him.  He  has  behaved 
so  well  under  these  anomalous  circumstances,  that  he  has  won  the 
respect  of  those  who,  so  far  as  the  discipline  of  the  school  would  per- 
mit, ignored  his  existence.  '  We  have  no  feeling  against  him, '  said 
one  of  the  students,  '  but  still  we  could  not  associate  with  him.  It 
may  be  prejudice,  but  still  we  couldn't  do  it. '  Impossibilities  should 
be  required  of  no  one,  and  if  the  white  West  Pointers  could  not  treat 
Mr.  Flipper  as  if  he  were  one  of  themselves,  why  of  course  that  is  an 
end  of  the  matter.  So  long  as  they  kept  within  the  rules  of  the  ser- 
vice, and  were  guilty  of  no  conduct  '  unbecoming  an  officer  and  a 
gentleman,"  it  was  not  for  their  commanders  to  interfei'e.  But  when 
they  tell  us  that  they  couldn't  possibly  associate  with  Mr.  Flipper, 
who  is  allowed  to  have  'shown  pluck  and  gentlemanl}''  qualities,' 
we  may  at  least  inquire  whether  they  have  tried  to  do  so.  Conquer- 
ing prejudices  implies  a  fight  with  prejudices — have  these  young 
gentlemen  had  any  such  fight  ?  Have  they  too  '  shown  pluck  and 
gentlemanly  qualities  ?  ' 

"  We  are  not  disposed  to  speak  harshly  of  these  fastidious  young 
fellows,  who  will  not  be  long  out  of  the  school  before  they  will  be 
rather  sorry  that  they  didn't  treat  Mr.  Flipper  a  little  more  cordially. 
But  a  much  more  important  matter  is  that  he  has,  in  spite  of  his 
color,  made  a  good  record  every  way,  has  kept  up  with  his  class,  has 
not  been  dropped  or  dismissed,  but  emerges  a  full-blown  Second 
Lieutenant  of  Cavalry.  He  has  thus  achieved  a  victory  not  only  for 
himself  but  for  his  race.  He  has  made  matters  easier  for  future  col- 
ored cadets  ;  and  twenty  years  hence,  if  not  sooner,  the  young  white 
gentlemen  of  West  Point  will  read  of  the  fastidiousness  of  their  pre- 


254  THE   COLORED    CADET   AT   WEST   POINT. 

decessors  with  incredulous  wonder.     Time  and  patience  will  settle 
every  thing. ' ' 

CADET   FLIPPER. 

"The  most  striking  illustration  of  class  prejudice  this  year  has 
been  afforded,  not  by  Mississippi  or  Louisiana,  but  by  West  Point. 
In  1873  Cadet  Flipper  entered  the  Military  Academy.  God  had 
given  him  a  black  skin,  a  warm  heart,  an  active  brain,  and  a  patriotic 
ambition.  He  was  guilty  of  no  other  crime  than  that  of  being  a 
negro,  and  bent  on  obtaining  a  good  education.  He  represented  a 
race  which  had  done  as  good  fighting  for  the  flag  as  any  done  by  the 
fair-skinned  Anglo-Saxon  or  Celt.  Congress  had  recognized  his  right 
and  the  right  of  his  race  to  education. 

"  But  his  classmates  decided  that  it  should  be  denied  him.  If  they 
had  possessed  the  brutal  courage  of  the  murderers  of  Chisholm  they 
would  have  shot  him,  or  whipped  him,  or  hung  him  ;  but  they  were 
not  brave  enough  for  that,  and  they  invented  instead  a  punishment 
worse  than  the  State  has  inflicted  upon  its  most  brutal  criminals. 
They  condemned  him  to  four  years  of  solitude  and  silence.  For  four 
years  not  a  classmate  spoke  to  Cadet  Flipper  ;  for  three  years  he  did 
not  hear  his  own  voice,  except  in  the  recitation-room,  on  leave  of 
absence,  or  in  chance  conversation  with  a  stray  visitor.  Then 
another  negro  entered  West  Point,  and  he  had  one  companion.  The 
prison  walls  of  a  Sing  Sing  cell  are  more  sympathetic  than  human 
prejudice.  And  in  all  that  class  of  '77  there  were  not  to  be  found  a 
dozen  men  brave  enough  to  break  through  this  wall  of  silence  and 
give  the  imprisoned  victim  his  liberty.  At  least  two  thirds  of  the 
class  are  Republican  appointees  ;  and  not  one  champion  of  equal 
rights.  In  all  that  class  but  one  hero — and  he  a  negro.  Seventy- 
five  braves  against  one  !  And  the  one  was  victorious.  He  fought 
out  the  four  years'  campaign,  conquered  and  graduated.  Honor  to 
the  African  ;  shame  to  the  Anglo-Saxon." 

CADET   FLIPPER   AGAIX. 

"  We  have  received  several  letters  on  the  subject  of  Cadet  Flipper, 
to  whose  treatment  at  West  Point  we  recently  called  the  attention  of 
our  readers.  One  of  them  is  from  a  former  instructor,  who  bears  a 
high  testimony  to  Lieutenant  Flipper's  character.     He  writes  : 

,:'I  want  to  thank  you  for  your  editorial  in  the  Christian  Tin  Ion  about  Cadet 
Flipper.  He  was  one  of  our  boys  ;  was  with  us  iu  school  from  the  beginning  of  his 
education  till  Freshman  year  in  college,  when  he  received  his  appointment  to  West 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  255 

Point.  He  was  always  obedient,  faithful,  modest,  and  in  every  way  manly.  We 
were  sorry  to  have  him  leave  us ;  but  now  rejoice  in  his  victory,  and  take  pride  iu 
him. 

"  '  During  all  these  years,  in  his  correspondence  with  his  friends,  he  has  not,  so 
far  as  I  can  learn,  uttered  a  single  complaint  about  his  treatment.' 

"  A  second  is  from  a  Canadian  reader,  who  objects  to  our  condem- 
nation of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race,  and  insists  that  we  should  have 
reserved  it  for  the  Yankees.  In  Canada,  he  assures  us,  the  color  line 
is  unknown,  and  that  negroes  and  Anglo-Saxons  mingle  in  the  same 
school  and  in  the  same  sports  without  prejudice.  Strange  to  say  the 
white  men  are  not  colored  by  the  intercourse. 

"  The  third  letter  comes  indirectly  from  Lieutenant  Flipper  him- 
self. In  it  the  writer  gives  us  the  benefit  of  information  derived 
from  the  lieutenant.     We  quote  (the  italics  are  ours) : 

"  '  Jlr.  Flipper  is  highly  respected  here,  and  has  been  received  by  his  former 
teachers  and  friends  with  pleasure  and  pride.  His  deportment  and  character  have 
won  respect  and  confidence  for  himself  and  his  race.  As  to  his  treatment  at  West 
Point,  he  assures  me  that  the  "  papers"  are  far  astray.  There  was  no  ostracism  on 
the  part  of  his  fellow-cadets,  except  in  the  matter  of  personal  ptMic  association.  He 
was  invariably  spoken  to  and  treated  courteously  and  respectfully  both  as  a  cadet 
and  officer.' 

"  We  are  glad  to  be  assured  that  it  was  not  as  bad  as  we  had  been 
informed  by  what  we  considered  as  good  authority  ;  and  we  arc  still 
more  glad  to  know  that  Lieutenant  Flipper,  instead  of  making  much 
of  his  social  martyrdom,  has  the  good  sense  to  make  as  light  of  it  as 
he  conscientiously  can.  But  if  it  is  true  that  there  were  cadets  who 
did  not  sympathize  with  the  action  of  the  class,  and  were  brave 
enough  to  speak  to  their  colored  comrade  in  private,  it  was  a  pity 
that  they  were  not  able  to  screw  their  courage  up  to  a  little  higher 
point,  and  put  the  mark  of  a  public  condemnation  on  so  petty  and 
cruel  a  persecution." 

The  people  at  large  seem  to  be  laboring  under  a 
delusion  about  West  Point,  at  least  the  West  Point 
that  I  knew.  I  know  nothing  of  what  West  Point 
was,  or  of  what  was  done  there  before  I  entered  the 
Academy.  I  have  heard  a  great  deal  and  read  a  great 
deal,  and  I  am  compelled  to  admit  I  have  doubts 
about  much  of  it.  At  the  hands  of  the  officers  of 
the  institution  my  treatment  didn't  differ  from  that 


256  THE   COLOKED   CADET  AT  "WEST   POINT. 

of  the  other  cadets  at  all,  and  at  the  hands  of  the 
cadets  themselves  it  differed  solely  "in  the  matter 
of  personal  public  association."  I  was  never  perse- 
cuted, or  abnsed,  or  called  by  approbrious  epithets 
in  my  hearing  after  my  first  year.  I  am  told  it  has 
been  done,  but  in  my  presence  there  has  never  been 
any  thing  but  proper  respect  shown  me.  I  have  men- 
tioned a  number  of  things  done  to  me  by  cadets,  and 
I  have  known  the  same  things  to  be  done  to  white 
cadets.  For  instance,  I  was  reported  for  speaking 
to  a  sergeant  about  the  discharge  of  his  duty.  (See 
Chapter  X.,  latter  part,  on  that  subject.)  The  same 
thing  occurred  to  several  members  of  the  class  of  '74. 
They  were  ordered  into  the  rear  rank  by  a  sergeant 
of  the  second  class,  when  they  were  first-classmen. 
They  were  white.  The  result  was  they  were  all, 
three  in  number,  I  think,  put  in  arrest. 

Some  IN  ew  England  paper  contributes  the  follow- 
ing articles  to  this  discussion,  parts  of  which  I  quote : 

THE    BIGOT   AND   THE    SNOB. 

"  The  Hilton-Seligman  controversy  is  one  of  those  incidents  which 
illustrate  some  of  the  features  of  our  social  life.  The  facts  can  briefly 
1)3  stated.  A  Jewish  gentleman,  of  wealth  and  position,  applies  for 
rooms  at  the  Grand  Union  Hotel,  Saratoga,  and  is  flatly  refused  ad- 
mission because  he  is  a  Jew.  The  public  indignation  is  so  great  that 
the  manager  of  the  hotel  is  obliged  to  defend  the  act,  and  puts  in  the 
plea  that  a  man  has  the  right  to  manage  his  property  as  he  pleases. 

"  But  before  our  anger  cools,  let  us  remember  the  case  of  the  col- 
ored cadet  at  West  Point.  During  his  course  he  met  with  constant 
rebuffs.  He  was  systematically  cut  by  his  fellow-schoolmates.  In- 
stead of  extending  to  him  a  generous  sympathy  in  his  noble  ambi- 
tion, they  met  him  with  sneers.  All  the  feelings  which  should  guide 
a  chivalric  soldier  and  lead  him  to  honor  real  heroism,  were  quenched 
by  the  intense  prejudice  against  color.  Mean  and  despicable  as  is 
the  spirit  which  prompted  the  manager  of  the  Grand  Union  Hotel  to 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  257 

refuse  to  entertain  the  rich  Jewish  banker,  that  which  influenced  the 
young  men  at  West  Point  is  still  more  deserving  scorn  and  contempt. 
It  was  meaner  and  more  contemptible  than  cowardice," 

PREJUDICE   AGAINST   COLOR. 

"Within the  last  thirty  years  there  has  been  a  great  change  in 
public  sentiment  relating  to  colored  persons.  That  it  has  become 
wholly  just  and  kind  cannot  be  shown  ;  but  it  is  far  less  unjust  and 
cruel  than  it  used  to  be.  In  most  of  the  old  free  States,  at  least,  tidy, 
intelligent,  and  courteous  American  citizens  of  African  descent  are 
treated  with  increasing  respect  for  their  rights  and  feelings.  In  pub- 
lic conveyances  we  find  them  enjoying  all  the  consideration  and  com- 
forts of  other  passengers.  At  our  public  schools  they  have  cordial 
welcome  and  fair  play.  We  often  see  them  walking  along  the  street 
with  white  schoolmates  who  have  evidently  lost  sight  of  the  differ- 
ence in  complexions.  Colored  boys  march  in  the  ranks  of  our  school 
battalions  without  receiving  the  slightest  insult.  Colored  men  have 
been  United  States  senators  and  representatives.  Frederick  Douglass 
is  Marshal  of  the  District  of  Columbia. 

"  There  is  one  conspicuous  place,  however,  where  caste-feeling 
seems  to  have  survived  the  institution  of  slavery,  and  that  is  West 
Point.  There  the  old  prejudice  is  as  strong,  active,  and  mean  as  ever. 
Of  this  there  has  been  a  recent  and  striking  instance  in  the  case  of 
young  Flipper  who  has  just  graduated.  It  appears  that  during  his 
whole  course  this  worthy  young  man  was  subjected  to  the  most 
relentless  '  snubbing. '  All  his  fellow-students  avoided  him  habit- 
ually. In  the  recitation-room  and  upon  the  parade  ground,  by  day 
and  by  night,  he  was  made  to  feel  that  he  belonged  to  an  inferior  and 
despised  race,  and  that  no  excellence  of  deportment,  diligence  in 
study,  or  rank  in  his  class  could  entitle  him  to  the  recognition  accord- 
ed to  every  white  dunce  and  rowdy.  Yet  with  rare  strength  of  char- 
acter he  persevered,  and  when,  having  maintained  the  standing  of 
No.  fifty  in  a  class  of  seventy-six,  he  received  his  well-earned  diplo- 
ma, there  was  a  round  of  tardy  applause. 

"  If  West  Point  is  to  continue  to  be  a  school  characterized  by  aris- 
tocracy based  upon  creed,  race,  or  color,  so  undemocratic  and  unre- 
publican  as  to  be  out  of  harmony  with  our  laws  and  institutions,  it 
will  do  more  harm  than  good,  and,  like  other  nuisances,  it  should  be 
abated.  If  our  rulers  are  sincere  in  their  professions,  and  faithful  to 
their  duties,  a  better  state  of  things  may  be  brought  about.     Military 


258  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

arts  must  be  acquired  somewhere  ;  but  if  the  present  Academy  cannot 
be  freed  from  plantation  manners,  it  may  be  well  to  establish  a  new 
one  without  pro-slavery  traditions,  or,  as  has  been  suggested  by  the 
Providence  Journal,  to  endow  military  departments  in  the  good  col- 
leges where  character  and  not  color  is  the  test  of  worth  and  man- 
hood." 

{From  the  New  York  Sun.) 

COLORED    CADET   FLIPPER. 

TWO   HUNDRED   OF   HIS  NEW  YORK  ADMIRERS  HONORING   HIM    WITH 
A  RECEPTION. 

"  A  reception  was  given  last  evening  by  Mr.  James  W.  Moore,  in 
the  rooms  of  the  Lincoln  Literary  Musical  Association,  182  "West 
Twenty-seventh  Street,  to  Lieutenant  H.  O.  Flipper,  of  Georgia,  the 
colored  cadet  who  has  just  graduated  at  West  Point.  Mr.  Moore  has 
had  charge  of  the  sick  room  of  Commodore  Garrison  since  his  illness. 
The  chandeliers  were  decorated  with  small  flags.  On  a  table  on  the 
platform  rested  a  large  basket  of  flowers,  bearing  the  card  of  Barrett 
H.  Van  Auken,  a  grandson  of  Commodore  Garrison.  Among  the 
pictures  on  the  wall  were  many  relating  to  Lincoln  and  the  emanci- 
pation proclamation.  Cheerful  music  was  furnished  from  a  harp 
and  violin. 

"  The  guests  began  to  arrive  about  nine  o'clock,  the  ladies  in  large 
numbers,  and  the  room  was  soon  abreeze  with  a  buzz  of  conversa- 
tion and  the  rustle  of  gayly-colored  dresses  and  bright  ribbons. 

"  The  grand  entree  was  at  a  quarter  before  ten.  Lieutenant  Flipper 
entered  the  room  in  full  uniform.  A  heavy  yellow  horse-hair  plume 
fell  clown  over  his  cavalry  helmet.  His  coat  was  new  and  bright, 
and  glittered  with  its  gold  buttons  and  tasselled  aigulets.  By  his  side 
hung  a  long  cavalry  sabre  in  a  gilt  scabbard.  His  appearance  was 
the  signal  for  a  buzz  of  admiration.  He  is  very  tall  and  well  made. 
Beside  him  was  Mr.  James  W.  Moore.  Behind  him,  as  he  walked 
through  the  thronged  rooms,  were  the  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  Highland  Gar- 
nett,  and  Mrs.  Garnett ;  the  Rev.  E.  W.  S.  Peck  of  the  Thirty-fifth 
Street  Methodist  Church  ;  Mr.  Charles  Remond  Douglass,  son  of  Fred 
Douglass,  and  United  States  Consul  in  San  Domingo  ;  the  Rev.  J.  S. 
Atwell,  of  St.  Philip's  Episcopal  Church  ;  the  Rev.  John  Peterson  ; 
Professor  Charles  L.  Reason,  of  the  Forty-first  Street  Grammar 
School ;  John  J.  Zuilille  ;  Richard  Robinson,  and  others. 

"  The  Lieutenant  was  led  upon  the  stage  by  Mr.  Garnett  and  seated 
at  the  extreme  left,  while  Dr.  Garnett  took  a  seat  at  the  extreme 


'  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  259 

right.  Next  to  the  Lieutenant  sat  Miss  Martha  J.  Moore  and  Miss 
Fanny  McDonough,  Mr.  P.  S.  Porter,  Dr.  Ray,  Mr.  Atwell,  and 
Professor  Reason  completed  the  semicircle,  of  which  Lieutenant 
Flipper  and  Dr.  Garnett  formed  the  extremities.  The  Rev.  Mr.  At- 
well sat  in  the  middle. 

"  After  all  were  seated,  Dr.  Garnett  called  Mr.  Douglass  forward  to 
a  vacant  seat  on  the  platform.  In  introducing  Lieutenant  Flipper, 
Dr.  Garnett  said  he  had  honored  himself  and  his  race  by  his  good 
scholarship  and  pluck.  Nowhere  else  was  there,  he  thought,  such 
iron-bound  and  copper-covered  aristocracy  as  in  West  Point.  Who 
could  have  thought  that  any  one  wearing  the  '  shadowed  livery  of 
the  burnished  sun  '  would  ever  dare  to  be  an  applicant  ?  Young 
Smith's  high  personal  courage  had  led  him  to  resent  a  blow  with  a 
blow,  and  his  career  in  the  Academy  was  cut  short.  Lieutenant  Flip- 
per had  encountered  the  same  cold  glances,  but  he  had  triumphed, 
and  appeared  before  his  friends  in  the  beautiful  uniform  of  the 
national  army.  (Applause.)  The  Doctor  believed  he  would  never 
disgrace  it.     (Applause,  and  waving  of  handkerchiefs  by  the  ladies.) 

"  At  the  close  of  his  address,  Dr.  Garnett  said  :  '  Ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen,  I  take  great  pleasure  in  introducing  to  you  Lieutenant  H.  O. 
Flipper.'  The  Lieutenant  rose  and  bowed  low,  his  hands  resting  on 
the  hilt  of  his  sabre.  He  said  nothing.  Mr.  Douglass  was  intro- 
duced, but  excused  himself  from  speaking. 

"  Then  Mr.  James  Crosby  was  called  on.  He  said  when  the  regi- 
ment in  which  he  was  orderly  sergeant  bad  marched  to  Port  Hud- 
son,  General met    it,  and    said  to  Colonel  Nelson  :  '  Colonel, 

what  do  you  call  these?  '  '  I  call  them  soldiers,'  answered  Colonel 
Nelson.  '  Well,  if  these  are  soldiers,  and  if  I've  got  to  command 
niggers,  the  government  is  welcome  to  my  commission.  Take  them 
down  to  the  right  to  General  Pajrne.  He  likes  niggers. '  '  Soon  after- 
ward,' added  Mr.  Crosby,  'occurred  that  terrible  slaughter  of  the 
colored  troops  which  you  all  remember  so  well.  This  year  Lieuten- 
ant Flipper  and  a  nephew  of  General graduated  in  the  same 

class,  and  the  colored  man  rated  the  highest. ' 

"After  the  addresses  Lieutenant  Flipper  descended  to  the  floor, 
and  without  formal  introductions  shook  bands  with  all.  He  had 
taken  off  his  cavalry  helmet  while  sitting  on  the  stage.  Lemonade 
and  ice-cream  were  served  to  the  guests.  About  two  hundred  per- 
sons, all  colored,  were  present.  The  Lieutenant  will  start  for  his 
home  in  Georgia  on  Monday.  He  will  join  bis  regiment,  the  Tenth 
Cavalry,  on  the  Rio  Grande  in  November."' 


260  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

{From  the  Atlanta  (Ga.)  Constitution.) 

FLIPPER   AGAIN. 

"  Flipper  has  flopped  up  again,  and  seems  to  be  decidedly  in  luck. 
He  has  been  transferred  to  the  Tenth  Cavalry,  which  is  alluded  to  by 
a  New  Orleans  paper  as  the  'Tenth  Nubian  Light  Foot.'  This,  it 
seems  to  us,  is  a  dark  hint  as  to  the  color  of  this  gallant  corps,  but  as 
the  State  of  Texas  lies  somewhere  between  New  Orleans  and  the  Rio 
Grande,  we  suppose  the  matter  will  be  allowed  to  pass.  But  as  to 
Flipper,  Flipper  has  got  his  regiment  and  he  has  had  a  reception  at 
the  hands  of  his  colored  friends  and  acquaintances  in  New  York. 
Common  people  are  generally  embarrassed  at  receptions  given  to 
themselves,  but  not  so  with  Flipper.  The  reception  was  exceedingly 
high-toned,  as  well  as  highly  colored,  and  took  place  in  the  rooms  of 
the  '  Lincoln  Literary  Musical  Association. '  Flipper,  rigged  out  in 
full  uniform,  with  a  yellow  horse-hair  plume  flowing  felicitously  over 
his  cavalry  helmet,  sailed  in,  according  to  accounts,  just  as  chipper 
and  as  pert  as  you  please.  There  was  no  lager  beer  handed  around, 
but  the  familiar  sound  of  the  band,  which  was  composed  of  a  harp 
and  a  violin,  made  its  absence  painfully  apparent.  There  were  few 
speeches,  but  the  affair  was  decidedly  formal.  When  every  thing 
was  ready  for  business,  a  party  of  the  name  of  Garnett  rose  and  in- 
troduced Flipper,  and  in  the  course  of  his  remarks  took  occasion  to 
attack  the  newly-made  lieutenant  by  accusing  him  of  wearing '  the  sha- 
dowed livery  of  the  burnished  sun. '  Whereupon  Flipper  got  up,  placed 
his  hands  on  the  hilt  of  his  bloody  sabre,  and  bowed.  The  crowd  then 
shook  hands  all  around,  the  music  played,  and  lemonade  and  ice- cream 
were  brought  out  from  their  hiding-places,  and  all  went  merry  as  the 
milkman's  bell.  As  we  said  before,  Flipper  is  in  luck.  He  is  a  dis- 
tinguished young  man.  He  will  reach  home  during  the  present 
week,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  his  friends  here  are  ready  to  give 
him  an  ice-cream  lunch,  or  something  of  that  kind." 

(From  the  Christian  Recorder.) 

LIEUTENANT    FLIPPER     IN    NEW   YORK — HIS    RECEPTION — 
CALLS   ON   BELKNAP. 

"  Lieutenant  Flipper  has,  by  his  manly  conduct  and  noble  bear- 
ing, his  superior  intellectual  powers  shown  his  fellow-cadets  and 
tutors  that  all  the  colored  student  wants  is  a  '  chance. '  His  term  of 
four  years,  his  graduation,  his  appointment,  will  all  mark  a  new  era 
in  American  history.     That  the  '  feat '  he  has  accomplished  is  appre- 


THE   COLOEED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  261 

dated  has  been  shown  in  too  many  ways  to  mention.  His  advent 
into  New  York  City  was  marked  by  many  courtesies.  His  friends, 
not  unmindful  of  his  new  field  and  position,  tendered  him  a  grand 
reception  at  Lincoln  Literary  Hall  on  the  30th  of  June.  It  was  the 
writer's  good  fortune  to  arrive  at  New  York  just  in  time  to  be  pres- 
ent and  pay  him  similar  honors  with  others.  The  hall  was  tastefully 
and  beautifully  decorated  with  flowers  and  flags,  representing  the 
different  States  in  the  Union.  At  the  appointed  hour  the  distin- 
guished guests  were  seen  gathering,  filling  the  hall  to  its  utmost 
capacity.  Among  the  number  we  noticed  especially  Dr.  H.  H.  Gar- 
nett  and  Processor  Reason.  A  few  and  appropriate  remarks  were 
made  by  Dr.  Garnett  as  an  introduction,  after  him  others  followed. 
After  these  formal  exercises  were  over,  Mr.  Flipper  came  down  from 
the  rostrum  and  welcomed  his  friends  by  a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand, 
then  all  supplied  the  wants  of  the  inner  man  by  partaking  of  cream, 
cake,  and  lemonade,  which  were  so  bountifully  supplied.  The  even- 
ing was  certainly  a  pleasant  one,  as  delightful  as  one  could  wish,  and 
I  presume  there  was  no  one  present  who  did  not  enjoy  himself.  In 
addition  to  what  has  already  been  mentioned  the  occasion  was  still 
more  enlivened  by  the  strains  of  sweet  music.  The  exercises  of  the 
evening  being  concluded,  the  distinguished  guests  departed  each  one 
for  his  home.  Lieutenant  Flipper  spent  some  days  in  New  York, 
and  during  this  visit,  as  he  tells  me,  ex-Secretary  Belknap  sent  him  a 
written  invitation  to  call  on  him.  This  he  did,  and  was  received 
very  cordially  and  congratulated  on  the  victory  achieved.  He  spoke 
of  the  pros  and  cons,  and  seemed  anxious  that  success  might  attend 
his  footsteps  in  all  the  avenues  of  army  life.  That  Belknap  is  inter- 
ested in  the  young  soldier  and  desires  his  success  I  do  not  deny  ;  but 
whether  the  ex-Secretary  would  have  given  him  any  assistance  when 
in  his  power  is  a  question  I  shall  not  presume  to  answer." 

{From  the  Atlanta  (Ga.)  Constitution.) 
FLYING   AROUND    FLIPPER. 

HIS  RECEPTION  UPON  HIS  RETURN  HOME — EAGERNESS  TO  SHAKE 
THE  HAND  OP  THE  "RAD  MAN  WID  DE  GUB'MENT  STROPS  ON  !" 
— A  SOCIAL  RECEPTION  ON  MONDAY  NIGHT. 

"  '  Flip's  done  come  home  ! '  was  the  familiar,  and  yet  admiring 
manner  in  which  the  young  negroes  about  town  yesterday  spread  the 
information  that  Second  Lieutenant  Henry  O.  Flipper,  of  the  Tenth 
Cavalry,  and  the  first  colored  graduate  of  the  United  States  Military 


262  THE   COLOKED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

Academy  at  West  Point,  had  arrived.  His  coming  has  created  quite 
a  sensation  in  colored  circles,  and  when  he  appeared  upon  the  streets, 
last  evening,  taking  a  drive  with  his  delighted  father,  he  was  the 
cynosure  of  all  the  colored  people  and  the  object  of  curious  glances 
from  the  whites.  The  young  man  had  '  been  there  before,'  however, 
and  took  all  the  ogling  with  patience  and  seeming  indifference.  Once 
in  awhile  he  would  recognize  an  old  acquaintance  and  greet  him  with 
a  smile  and  a  bow. 

"  The  last  number  of  Frank  Leslie's  Illustrated  Newspaper  contains 
an  excellent  likeness  of  Flipper,  dressed  in  his  cadet  uniform.  His 
features  betray  his  intelligence,  and  indicate  the  culture  which  he  has 
acquired  by  hard  study.  His  arrival  here  was  the  occasion  of  a  buzz 
about  the  Union  depot.  His  parents  and  a  number  of  intimate 
friends  were  present  to  receive  him,  and  the  scene  was  an  interesting 
one  to  all  concerned. 

"  '  Dat's  him  ! '  said  a  dozen  of  the  curious  darkeys  who  stood  off 
and  hadn't  the  honor  of  the  youth's  acquaintance.  They  seemed  to 
feel  lonesome. 

"  '  He's  one  ob  de  United  States  Gazettes  ! '  shouted  a  young 
darkey,  in  reply  to  a  query  from  a  strange  negro  who  has  moved  here 
since  Flipper  went  away. 

"But  the  young  officer  was  speedily  spirited  out  of  the  crowd  and 
taken  home  to  his  little  bed  for  a  rest. 

"  On  the  streets  he  was  greeted  by  many  of  our  citizens  who  knew 
him,  and  who  have  watched  his  career  with  interest.  His  success 
was  complimented,  and  he  was  urged  to  pursue  his  course  in  the 
same  spirit  hereafter.  Among  his  colored  friends  he  was  a  lion,  and 
they  could  not  speak  their  praises  in  language  strong  enough. 

' '  A  darkey  would  approach  the  young  man,  cautiously,  feel  of  his 
buttons  and  clothes,  and  enthusiastically  remark  :  "  '  Bad  man  wid 
de  gub'ment  strops  on  !  ' 

"These  were  the  expressions  of  admiration  that  best  suited  the 
ideas  of  his  delighted  acquaintances.  They  will  give  him  a  reception 
on  Monday  night  next,  at  which  all  his  friends  will  be  present,  and 
some  of  our  leading  white  citizens  will  be  invited  to  be  present. 

"  We  will  try  and  give  the  young  man's  views  and  experiences  in 
to-morrow's  issue." 

This  paper  is  noted  for  its  constant  prevarica- 
tion. Whatever  it  says  abont  negroes  is  scarcely 
worth  noticing,  for  be  it  in  their  favor  or  not  it  is 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  263 

almost  certainly  untrue.  My  "  delighted  father"  was 
not  within  three  hundred  miles  of  Atlanta  when  I 
reached  that  place.  I  did  not  appear  on  the  streets 
in  uniform  for  several  days  after  my  arrival,  and 
then  only  at  the  request  of  many  friends  and  an  offi- 
cer of  the  Second  Infantry  then  at  McPherson  Bar- 
racks. 

(From  the  Atlanta  (Ga.)  Republican.) 

' '  Lieutenant  Flipper  arrived  in  our  city  last  week  on  a  visit  to 
his  friends.  His  father  lives  in  Thomasville,  but  he  was  educated  in 
this  city.  His  intelligence  and  manly  course  has  won  for  him  the 
praise  of  even  the  Bourbons." 

(From  the  Atlanta  (Ga.)  Republican.) 

"We  acknowledge  the  courtesy  of  an  invitation  to  a  reception 
given  to  Lieutenant  H.  O.  Flipper  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry,  by  his  col- 
ored friends  in  Atlanta.  Circumstances  beyond  our  control  prevent- 
ed our  attending. 

' '  We  are  informed  it  was  a  pleasant  affair,  and  that  Lieutenant 
Flipper  embraced  the  opportunity  to  give  something  of  his  four 
years'  experience  at  West  Point,  and  to  correct  some  of  the  misstate- 
ments of  the  Atlanta  Constitution  concerning  the  treatment  he 
received  while  a  cadet  at  the  Military  Academy.  An  article  alluding 
to  this  subject  has  been  crowded  out  this  week,  but  will  appear  in 
our  next  issue. 

(From  the  Augusta  (Ga.)  Chronicle  and  Constitutionalist.) 

A   FALSEHOOD. 

"The  Cincinnati  Gazette  says:  'Lieutenant  Flipper,  the  young 
colored  man  who  is  guilty  of  having  been  graduated  with  credit  from 
West  Point,  continues  to  be  the  butt  of  Georgia  Democratic  jour- 
nals. '  We  would  like  to  know  where  the  Gazette  gets  its  informa- 
tion. Flipper  has  been  treated  with  nothing  but  kindness  in  Georgia. 
Wherever  he  has  reviewed  the  colored  military,  accounts  of  the 
reviews  have  been  published,  but  we  have  yet  to  see  a  single  word  in 
a  Georgia  paper  in  disparagement  or  ridicule  of  the  colored  graduate." 


264  THE    COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

Witness  the  following  from  the  Atlanta  Constitu- 
tion : 

FLIPPEE   AS   A   FRAUD. 

FREEMAN'S  PROTEGE  ON  SOUTHERN  CIVILIZATION— HE  TALKS  AT  THE 
RECEPTION  AND  MAKES  OF  HIMSELF  AN  ASS — THE  ANOMALOUS 
CREATURE  ON  EXHIBITION — HE   SHOWS  THE  CLOVEN  FOOT. 

"  Last  night  the  colored  people  of  the  city  gave  a  '  reception '  to 
Flipper,  of  the  United  States  Army.  They  did  this  from  a  feeling  of 
pride  over  the  fact  that  one  of  their  color,  a  townsman,  had  succeed- 
ed in  attaining  his  rank.  They  doubtless,  little  suspected  that  he 
would  make  such  use  of  the  occasion  as  he  did.  More  than  one  of 
them  so  expressed  their  feeling  before  the  evening  ended.  The  rela- 
tions between  the  races  in  this  city  have  for  years  been  such  as  to 
make  remarks  like  those  in  which  Flipper  indulged  not  only  uncalled 
for,  but  really  distasteful.  They  are  not  to  be  blamed  for  his  con- 
duct. 

"  The  crowd  that  gathered  in  the  hall  on  the  corner  of  Mitchell  and 
Broad  Streets  was  large.  It  was  composed  almost  entirely  of  well- 
dressed  and  orderly  colored  people.  There  were  present  several  of 
the  white  male  and  female  teachers  of  the  negro  schools  ;  also, 
some  of  our  white  citizens  occupying  back  seats,  who  were  drawn 
thither  by  mere  curiosity. 

"  Flipper  was  dressed  lavisbly  in  regimentals  and  gold  cord,  and 
sat  upon  the  stage  with  his  immense  and  ponderous  cavalry  sabre 
tightly  buckled  around  him.  He  had  the  attitude  of  "Wellington  or 
Grant  at  a  council  of  war.  He  was  introduced  to  the  audience  by  J. 
O.  Wimbish,  a  high-toned  negro  politician  (as  was)  of  this  city,  who 
bespattered  the  young  warrior  with  an  eulogy  such  as  no  school-mas- 
ter would  have  written  for  less  than  $5  C.  O.  D.  It  was  real  slushy 
in  its  copiousness  and  diffusiveness. 

FRIP    FIRES  OFF. 

"He  arose  with  martial  mien,  and  his  left  hand  resting  on  his 
sabre  hilt.     He  said  : 

"  '  Some  weeks  ago  he  had  been  called  upon  at  a  reception  in  New 
York  to  make  a  speech,  but  he  had  reminded  the  gentleman  who 
called  upon  him  that  he  had  been  taught  to  be  a  soldier  and  not  an 
orator.  While  upon  this  occasion  he  still  maintained  that  he  was  not 
an  orator,  yet  he  would  tell  them  something  of  his  career  at  West 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  2G5 

Point.  He  referred  to  his  colored  predecessors  in  the  Academy  and 
their  fates,  particularly  of  Smith,  whose  last  year  there  was  his  (F.  's) 
first.  During  that  year,  on  Smith's  account,  he  had  received  his 
worst  treatment  at  the  Academy.  Prejudice  against  us  was  strong 
there  at  that  time.  During  his  first  encampment  he  had  a  better  time 
than  almost  any  man  in  his  class.  In  1874  Smith  left,  and  a  rumor 
prevailed  that  he  (F.)  was  afraid  to  stay  and  was  going  to  resign. 
Colonel  Upton,  the  commandant,  sent  for  him  to  his  house,  told  him 
not  to  do  so,  but  to  stick  it  out.  Of  course  he  had  no  intention  of 
resigning,  and  he  followed  this  superfluous  advice.  So  far  as  the 
cadets  were  concerned  they  always  treated  me  fairly,  would  speak  to 
me,  and  some  came  to  my  room  and  tallied  with  me,  but  the  only 
thing  they  did  that  was  wrong,  perhaps,  was  that  they  would  not 
associate  with  me  openly.  The  officers  always  treated  me  as  well  as 
they  did  any  other  cadet.  All  these  reports  about  my  bad  treatment 
there,  especially  in  Southern  newspapers,  are  absolutely  false. 

"  '  I  will  read  and  comment  upon  some  of  these  articles.  In  The 
Constitution  of  last  Saturday  it  said  I  had  the  hardest  four  years  of 
any  cadet  who  ever  passed  through  the  Academy.  That  is  in  some 
respects  true,  but  not  wholly  so.  Speaking  of  Ben  Butler's  son,  I 
am  proud  to  say  that  among  the  three  hundred  cadets  I  hadn't  a  bet- 
ter friend  than  the  son  of  the  Massachusetts  statesman.  (Applause.) 
As  to  Mr  Bigelow's  son,  mentioned  here,  I  know  him  well,  and  his 
whole  family — his  father,  the  distinguished  ex-Secretary  of  State,  his 
mother  and  his  two  sisters,  and  have  met  them  at  their  home.  Mrs. 
Bigelow,  recognizing  my  position,  and  thinking  to  assure  my  feel- 
ings, sent  me  a  nice  box  of  fruit  with  her  compliments.' 

"He  then  commented  on  articles  from  Beecher's  Christian  Union, 
the  New  York  Tribune,  Harper's  Weekly,  and  the  New  York  Tele- 
gram, characterizing  many  of  their  statements  about  himself  as  false. 

SOCIAL  EQUALITY  m  THE  AIMY. 

"The  article  last  named  was  about  social  equality  in  the  army. 
Flipper  said  that  he  was  cordially  met  by  the  army  officers  in  Chat- 
tanooga. In  return  he  paid  his  respects  to  the  commandant  and  was 
introduced  and  shown  through  the  barracks.  He  was  treated  with 
every  courtesy. 

"  '  How  it  is  here  you  have  all  seen  as  I  walked  about  the  city.  I 
have  walked  with  the  officers  of  the  garrison  here  several  times  to- 
day, even  up  and  down  Whitehall  Street,  and  one  of  them  invited 
me  into  Schumann's  drug  store,  and  had  a  glass  of  soda  together.     I 


266  THE    COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

know  it  is  not  a  usual  thing  to  sell  to  colored  people,  but  we  got  it. 
(Laughter  and  applause.)  And  to-night  as  Mr.  J.  0.  Wimbish  and 
myself  were  coming  to  the  hall,  we  met  with  one  of  the  officers  at  the 
corner,  and  went  into  Schumann's  again.  We  called  for  soda-water, 
and  got  it  again  !  (Applause.)  And  I  called  at  the  barracks,  through 
military  courtesy,  and  paid  my  respects  to  the  commandant.  I  un- 
derstand that  the  officers  there  have  had  my  case  under  considera- 
tion, and  have  unanimously  agreed  that  I  am  a  graduate  of  the  na- 
tional Academy,  and  hold  a  commission  similar  to  their  own,  and  am 
entitled  to  the  same  courtesy  as  any  other  officer.  I  have  been  invited 
to  visit  them  at  their  quarters  to-morrow.  These  things  show  you 
something  of  social  equality  in  the  army,  and  when  this  happens 
with  officers  who  have  lived  in  the  South,  and  had  opportunity  to  be 
tainted  with  Southern  feeling,  I  expect  still  less  trouble  from  this 
source  when  I  reach  my  regiment  and  among  officers  who  have  not 
lived  in  the  South  and  had  occasion  to  be  tainted  in  this  way.  The 
gentlemen  of  the  army  are  generally  better  educated  than  the  people 
of  the  South. ' 

' '  He  spoke  of  his  graduation  and  of  the  applause  with  which  he 
was  greeted.     He  closed  by  thanking  his  audience. 

FLOURISHING   HIS  FLIPPER. 

' '  Then  Flipper  was  escorted  upon  the  floor,  and  the  announcement 
was  made  that  all  who  desired  could  now  be  introduced  to  the  youth. 

"  The  first  man  to  receive  this  distinguished  honor  was  George 
Thomas,  the  Assistant  United  States  Attorney.  He  was  followed 
closely  by  several  Northern  school-marms  and  teachers,  and  a  host  of 
the  colored  people.] 

"  After  shaking,  the  crowd  took  ice-cream  and  cake  and  adjourn- 
ed.   Sic  transit!" 

I  pass  over  the  preceding  article  with,  the  silent 
contempt  it  deserves.  Some  of  the  papers  com- 
mented upon  it.     I  give  two  such  articles  : 

(From  the  Atlanta  (67a.)  Republican.) 

"  The  Atlanta  Constitution,  true  to  principle,  comes  out  in  a  slander- 
ous attack  upon  Lieutenant  Flipper.  In  its  issue  of  Tuesday,  July  10th, 
it  calls  him  a  fraud.  Would  to  heaven  we  had  ten  thousand  such 
frauds  in  Georgia  for  the  good  of  the  State  and  progress  in  general  ! 


THE  COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  267 

' '  It  takes  exception,  too,  to  the  manner  in  which  the  colored  lieu- 
tenant appeared  at  the  reception  given  by  the  colored  people  in  his 
honor.  He  was  'lavishly  dressed  in  full  regimentals,'  it  says, 
'  with  gold  cord.  He  sat  upon  the  stage  with  his  massive  and  pon- 
derous sword,  looking  like  "Wellington  or  Grant  in  war  council.  He 
made  remarks  uncalled  for  and  distasteful.'     Oh  dear  !  Oh  ! 

"Now  we  (that  is  I,  this  individual,  Mr.  Editor,  for  I  would  not 
assume  your  grand  editorial  pronoun)  should  lik,e  to  know  how  the 
Constitution  would  have  the  young  officer  dress.  Surely  it  was  en- 
tirely proper  and  becoming  that  he  should  appear  in  full  regimental 
cap,  coat,  boots,  spurs,  and  all,  full  fledged,  just  as  he  issued  forth 
from  West  Point. 

"  In  the  first  place  it  was  a  novel  sight  for  the  colored  people. 
Surely  the  Constitution  would  not  rob  us  of  the  privilege  and  pleasure 
of  seeing  in  full  military  costume  the  first  and  only  one  of  our  race 
who  has  been  permitted  to  pass  through  West  Point  with  honor. 

' '  In  regard  to  the  ostentatious  manner  in  which  the  lieutenant  con- 
ducted himself  on  that  evening,  nothing  could  be  further  from  the 
truth.  In  fact,  the  general  comment  of  the  evening  by  both  black 
and  white  was  on  the  modesty  of  his  bearing. 

"  It  is  not  strange,  however,  that  the  Constitution,  whose  judgment 
and  sense  of  right  and  justice  have  been  perverted  through  years  of 
persistent  sinning,  should  see  things  in  a  different  light. 

"  The  '  uncalled  for  and  distasteful '  remarks  were  doubtless  those 
made  in  regard  to  the  fact  that  Northern  people  coming  into  contact 
with  Southern  prejudice  are  tainted  by  it,  and  that  West  Pointers  are 
generally  better  educated  than  the  Southern  people.  Of  course  this 
would  stir  up  the  wrath  of  the  Constitution  ;  for  what  could  be  more 
hateful  in  its  sight  than  truth  ? 

"  Justitia.  " 

{From  the  New  York  World.) 

"  Lieutenant  Flipper  would  have  shown  better  sense  if  he  had  not 
made  any  speech  at  Atlanta.  But  if  he  was  to  make  any  speech  at 
all  upon  the  subject  of  his  treatment  at  West  Point,  it  could  scarcely 
be  expected  that  he  should  make  one  more  modest,  manly  and  sensi- 
ble than  that  which  is  reported  in  our  news  columns." 

Here  are  two  other  articles  of  the  abusive  order 
from  the  Southern  press  ; 


288  THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

(From  the  Griffin  {Oa.)  News.) 

"  J.  C.  Freeman,  the  only  white  man  in  Georgia  that  ever  disgraced 
the  military  of  the  United  States,  was  in  the  city  yesterday.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  this  individual  at  one  time  misrepresented  this 
district  in  Congress,  and  during  that  time  he  appointed  one  negro  by 
color,  and  Flipper  by  name,  to  "West  Point.  But  then,  nevertheless, 
the  negro  is  as  good  as  he  is,  and  better  too,  and  wc  have  no  doubt 
but  what  Freeman  thinks  he  did  a  big  thing,  but  the  good  people  of 
the  State  think  different.     This  notice  is  not  paid  for. ' ' 

(From  the  Warrenton  (Oa.)  Clipper.) 

"  The  following  is  the  way  the  Southerners  solidify  their  section — 
that  is,  it  is  one  way — the  other,  being  the  masked  Kuklux.  What  it 
says,  however,  about  the  North,  is  just  about  so  : 

"  '  Lieutenant  Flipper,  the  colored  cadet,  is  in  Macon,  and  the 
darkies  there  think  him  a  bigger  man  that  General  Grant.  They'll 
want  him  to  be  President  after  awhile,  and  the  Northern  people  will 
then  be  the  first  to  say  no.'  " 

The  article  of  social  equality  referred  to  was 
clipped  from  the  New  York  Eoening  Telegram.  It 
is  as  follows  : 

NEGRO  EQUALITY  IN  THE  ARMY. 

"  There  is  no  danger  of  negro  equality,  oh  no  !  But  it  will  be  so 
delightful  for  the  white  soldier  to  be  commanded  to  pace  the  green- 
sward before  the  tent  of  Lieutenant  Flipper,  the  negro  graduate  of 
West  Point,  and  the  white  soldier  will  probably  indulge  in  a  strange 
train  of  thought  while  doing  it.  And  when  promotion  comes,  and 
the  negro  becomes  Majah  Flippah,  or  Colonel  Flippah,  the  prospects 
of  the  white  captains  and  lieutenants  will  be  so  cheerful,  particularly 
if  they  have  families  and  are  stationed  at  some  post  in  the  far  West, 
where  any  neglect  in  the  social  courtesies  toward  their  superior  offi- 
cer would  probably  go  hard  with  them  and  their  families." 

To  go  back  to  the  article  "  Flying  Around  Flip- 
per," I  want  to  say  the  white  people  of  Georgia  can 
claim  no  credit  for  any  part  of  my  education.  The 
Storrs  school  was  not  a  public  school  at  the  time  I 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  269 

went  to  school  there.  It  did  not  become  such  until 
I  went  to  West  Point.  The  Atlanta  University  re- 
ceives $8000  per  annum  from  the  State  of  Georgia  in 
lieu  of  the  share  of  the  agricultural  land  scrip  due 
to  the  colored  people  for  educational  purposes. 
Efforts  have  been  made  to  take  even  this  from  the 
university,  but  all  have  been  failures. 

{From  the  Macon  (Ga.)  Telegram  and  Messenger.) 
BATTALION    PARADE. 

"  On  Monday  evening  the  colored  companies  of  the  city  had  a 
battalion  parade  and  review. 

"  The  three  companies,  viz.,  the  Lincoln  Guards,  the  Bibb 
County  Blues,  and  the  Central  City  Light  Infantry,  formed  on  Fourth 
Street,  and  to  martial  music  marched  up  Mulberry  to  First,  down 
First  to  Walnut,  up  Walnut  to  Spring  Street,  and  there  formed  for 
dress  parade  and  inspection. 

"  On  the  right  of  the  line  were  the  Light  Infantry  under  Captain 
W.  H.  DeLyons.  The  Blues  bore  the  colors,  and  were  commanded 
by  Spencer  Moses,  Captain,  and  the  Guards  supported  the  extreme 
left.  T.  N.  M.  Sellers,  Captain  of  the  Lincoln  Guards,  acted  as 
major.  After  some  preliminary  movements  the  troops  were  inspect- 
ed by  Lieutenant  Flipper,  the  colored  graduate  of  West  Point.  The 
troops  then  marched  around  the  inspecting  officer. 

"  The  line  was  again  formed,  and  the  major  addressed  Lieutenant 
Flipper  in  a  short  speech,  in  which  was  expressed  gratitude  to  the 
government  and  thanks  to  the  inspecting  officer. 

"  Lieutenant  Flipper  replied  in  a  f ew  very  sensible  and  appropriate 
remarks  :  That  he  wished  all  success,  honor,  and  thanks  to  the  com- 
panies for  their  kindness  and  courtesy.  Hoped  they  would  all  make 
soldiers  and  fight  for  their  country.  That  he  was  a  soldier  rather 
than  a  speaker.  That  he  had  tried  to  do  his  duty  at  West  Point,  and 
that  he  expected  to  continue  to  try  to  do  his  duty,  and  '  again  thank- 
ing you  for  your  hospitality,  kindness,  and  attention  to  myself,  I 
renew  my  wish  for  your  future  success.' 

"After  the  speaking  there  was  a  general  hand-shaking.  The  en- 
tire parade  was  very  creditable  indeed,  showing  considerable  profi- 

12 


270  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

ciency  in  the  tactics,  and  was  witnessed  by  a  large  crowd  of  about 
twelve  hundred  of  whites  and  blacks. 

"  This  is  the  first  review  ever  held  by  the  colored  troops  in  the  city 
of  Macon,  About  eighty  men  rank  and  file  were  out.  The  colors 
used  was  the  United  States  flag.  The  uniforms  were  tasty  and  well 
gotten  up." 

There  was  a  very  scurrilous  article  in  one  of  the 
Charleston  (S.  C.)  papers.  I  have  not  been  able  to 
get  it.  I  am  informed  that  after  commenting  on  my 
graduation,  assignment,  etc.,  it  indulged  in  much 
speculation  as  to  my  future.  It  told  how  I  would 
live,  be  treated,  etc.,  how  I  would  marry,  beget 
''little  Flippers,"  and  rear  them  up  to  "don  the 
army  blue,"  and  even  went  far  enough  to  predict 
their  career.  It  was  a  dirty  piece  of  literature,  and 
I  am  not  very  sorry  I  couldn't  obtain  it. 

{From  the  Atlanta  (Oa.)  Republican.) 
SUCCESSFUL   COLORED   YOUNG   MEN. 

"  At  length  a  colored  youth  has  overcome  the  difficulties  that  sur- 
rounded him  as  a  student  at  the  West  Point  Military  Academy,  and 
has  graduated,  with  the  respect  of  his  white  associates  who  were  at 
first  very  much  opposed  to  him.  Mr.  Flipper,  the  successful  yonng 
man  is  a  Georgia  boy,  and  was  appointed  a  cadet  to  West  Point  from 
the  Fifth  Congressional  District — the  Atlanta  District — by  Congress- 
man Freeman,  we  believe.  He  was  raised  by  Rev.  Frank  Quarles,  of 
this  city,  and  is  regarded  by  him  almost  as  a  son. 

' '  John  F.  Quarles,  Esq. ,  the  son  of  Rev.  Frank  Quarles,  is  spend- 
ing a  few  days  with  his  father.  Mr.  J.  F.  Quarles  was  educated  in 
Pennsylvania  since  the  war,  and  returned  to  Georgia  in  1870.  He 
read  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  Augusta  bar  after  a  careful  exam- 
ination before  three  of  the  ablest  lawyers  at  that  bar,  which  is  noted 
for  its  talent.  He  passed  a  very  creditable  examination,  and  is,  we 
believe,  the  only  colored  man  who  has  been  admitted  to  the  Georgia 
bar.  He  was  soon  after  appointed  consul  to  Port  Mahon,  in  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  and  served  with  credit  until  he  was  legislated  out 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  271 

of  office  by  the  Democratic  Congress.     President  Hayes  recently  ap- 
pointed him  consul  to  Malaga,  Spain. 

"  Rev.  Mr.  Quarles  is  justly  proud  of  two  such  boys." 

Here,  too,  is  a  venerable  colored  man  claiming 
the  honor  of  having  raised  me.  Why,  I  never  was 
away  from  my  mother  and  father  ten  consecutive 
hours  in  my  life  until  I  went  to  West  Point.  It  is 
possible,  nay,  very  probable,  that  he  jumped  me  on 
his  knee,  or  boxed  me  soundly  for  some  of  my  child- 
ish pranks,  but  as  to  raising  me,  that  honor  is  my 
mother's,  not  his. 

Before  leaving  West  Point  the  following  commu- 
nications were  sent  me  from  the  head-quarters  of  the 
Liberia  Exodus  Association,  10  Mary  Street,  Charles- 
ton, S.  C.  I  replied  in  very  courteous  terms  that  I 
was  opposed  to  the  whole  scheme,  and  declined  to 
have  any  thing  to  do  with  it.  I  was  in  Charleston 
later  in  the  year,  and  while  there  I  was  besieged  by 
some  of  the  officers  of  the  association,  who  had  not 
yet  despaired  of  making  me  "  Generalissimo  of  Li- 
beria's Army,"  as  one  of  them  expressed  himself. 
Wearied  of  their  importunities,  and  having  no  sym- 
pathy with  the  movement,  I  published  the  following 
in  the  Charleston  News  and  Courier  : 

FLIPPER   OX   LIBERIA. 

"Lieutenant  Flipper,  of  the  Tenth  United  States  Cavalry,  the 
newly-fledged  colored  West  Pointer,  has  something  to  say  on  the 
question  of  the  Liberian  Exodus,  which  will  be  interesting  to  the 
people  of  his  race.  The  lieutenant,  by  his  creditable  career  as  a 
cadet  at  the  Military  Academy,  has  certainly  earned  the  right  to  be 
heard  by  the  colored  population  with  at  least  as  much  respect  and 
attention  as  has  been  given  to  the  very  best  of  the  self-constituted 
apostles  of  the  Exodus.     Here  is  his  letter  : 


272  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  News  and  Courier: 

"  '  Sir  :  A  rumor  has  come  to  me  from  various  source?,  to  the  effect  that  I  have 
promised  to  resign  my  commission  in  the  army  after  serving  the  two  years  required 
by  law,  and  to  then  accept  another  as  General  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Liberian 
Army. 

"  '  It  has  also  come  to  my  notice-that  many,  particularly  in  the  counties  adjoin- 
ing Georgia,  are  being  persuaded,  and  intend  going  to  Liberia  because  I  have  made 
this  promise. 

"  '  I  shall  consider  it  no  small  favor  if  you  will  state  that  there  is  no  law  requir- 
ing me  to  serve  two  years,  that  I  never  authorized  any  such  statement  as  here  made, 
that  I  have  no  sympathy  whatever  for  the  "Liberian  Exodus"  movement,  that  I 
give  it  neither  countenance  nor  support,  but  will  oppose  it  whenever  I  feel  that  the 
occasion  requires  it.  I  am  not  at  all  disposed  to  flee  from  one  shadow  to  grasp  at 
another— from  the  supposed  error  of  Hayes's  Southern  policy  to  the  prospective 
glory  of  commanding  Liberia's  army. 

"  '  Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  'IIenry  O.  Flipper, 
"  'Second  Lieutenant  Tenth  U.  S.  Cavalry. 

"  'Charleston,  S.  C,  October  19,  1877.'  " 


THE    LETTERS   FB05I    CHARLESTON. 

Rooms  of  the  Liberian  African  Association,  ) 

10  Mary  Street,  Charleston,  S.  C,  [- 

June  22,  1877.  ) 

To  Henry  O.  Flipper,  Esq., 

IT.  8.  Military  Academy,  West  Point,  N.  Y.  : 
Dear  Friend  and  Brother  :  Your  future,  as  foreshadowed 
by  the  press  of  this  country,  looks  dismal  enough.  We  have  conned 
its  remarks  with  mingled  feelings  of  sympathy  and  exultation.  Exul- 
tation !  because  we  believe  fate  has  something  higher  and  better  in 
store  for  you  than  they  or  you  ever  dreamed.  Inclosed  please  find  copy 
of  a  letter  to  the  Honorable  the  Secretary  of  State.  We  have  not  yet 
received  a  reply.  Also,  inclosed,  a  number  of  the  Missionary  Record 
containing  the  call  referred  to.  We  have  mentioned  you  in  our  note 
to  His  Excellency  Anthony  Gardner,  President  of  Liberia.  Please 
communicate  with  us  and  say  if  this  letter  and  inclosures  do  not  open 
up  a  bright  vista  in  the  future  to  your  imagination  and  reasonable  as- 
pirations ?  ~We  picture  to  ourselves  our  efforts  to  obtain  a  line  of 
steamers  crowned  with  success  ;  and  behold  you  as  commander-in- 
chief  organizing  and  marshalling  Liberia's  military  forces  in  the  in- 
terests of  humanity  at  large,  and  the  especial  development  of  a  grand 
African  nationality  that  shall  command  the  respect  of  the  nations  : 


THE   COLOKED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  273 

So  Afric  shall  resume  her  seat  in  the 

Hall  of  Nations  vast ; 
AncTstrike  upon  her  restrung  lyre 

The  requiem  of  the  past : 
And  sing  a  song  of  thanks  to  God, 

For  his  great  mercy  shown, 
In  leading,  with  an  outstretched  arm, 

The  benighted  wanderer  home.    Selah  ! 

Provide  yourself  at  once  with  maps,  etc.,  master  the  chorography 
of  Africa  in  general,  and  the  topography  of  Liberia  in  particular, 
that  is  to  say,  the  whole  range  of  the  Kong  mountains,  including  its 
eastern  slope  on  to  the  Niger,  our  natural  boundary  !  for  the  next 
thirty  years  !  after  that,  onward  !  Cultivate  especially  the  artillery 
branch  of  the  service  ;  this  is  the  arm  with  which  we  can  most  surely 
overawe  all  thought  of  opposition  among  the  native  tribes  ;  whilst 
military  engineering  will  dot  out  settlements  with  forts,  against 
which,  they  will  see,  'twould  be  madness  to  hurl  themselves.  "We 
desire  to  absorb  and  cultivate  them.  The  great  obstacle  to  this  is  their 
refusal  to  have  their  girls  educated.  This  results  from  their  institution 
of  polygamy.  Slavery  is  the  same  the  world  over — it  demands  the 
utter  ignorance  of  its  victims.  We  must  compel  their  enlightenment. 
Have  we  not  said  enough  ?  Does  not  your  intelligence  grasp,  and 
your  ambition  spring  to  the  great  work  ?  Let  us  hear  from  you.  You 
can  be  a  great  power  in  assisting  to  carry  out  our  Exodus.  If  you 
desire  we  will  elect  you  a  member  of  our  council  and  keep  you  advis- 
ed of  our  proceedings.  We  forward  you  by  this  mail  some  of  our 
numbers  and  the  Charleston  News  of  the  20th.  See  the  article  on 
yourself,  and  let  it  nerve  you  to  thoughts  and  deeds  of  greatness. 
Let  us  know  something  about  Baker  and  McClcnnan.  Are  they  at 
Annapolis?  Cadets?  (We will  require  a  navy  as  well  as  an  army.) 
Also  something  about  yourself.  What  part  of  the  State  are  you 
from  ?  Hon.  K.  H.  Cain  is  not  here,  or  probably  he  could  inform  us. 
Affectionately  yours.     By  our  President, 

B.  F.  Porter, 
Pastor  of  Morris  Brown  Chapel. 
Geo.  Curtis,   Corresponding  Secretary. 

P.  S. — We  have  received  a  reply  from  the  Secretary  of  State — ■ 
very  courteous  in  its  tone — but  "  regrets"  to  say  that  he  has  "  no 
special  means  of  forming  an  opinion  upon  the  subject.  The  measure 
referred  to  would  require  an  Act  of  Congress,  in  respect  to  whose 
future  proceedings  it  would  not  be  prudent  to  venture  a  prediction." 


27tt  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

The  answer  is  all  we  expected.  We  have  made  ourselves  known 
to,  and  are  recognized  by,  the  Executive  ;  our  next  step  is  to  address 
Senators  Morton  and  Blaine — Hon.  R.  H.  Cain  will  see  to  it,  that  the 
question  is  pushed  in  the  House.  G.  C. 

COPY. 

EOOMS  OF   THE  LIBERIA   EXODUS   ASSOCIATION,    ) 

10  Mary  Street,  Charleston,  S.  C.         [ 
June  14,  1877.  ) 

Hon.  Wm,  J.  Evarts, 

Secretary  of  State,  Washington,  D.  G.  : 

Sir  :  Inclosed  please  find  a  call  on  our  people  to  prepare  to  or- 
ganize for  an  exodus  to  Liberia. 

We  think  it  explains  itself,  but  any  further  explanation  called  for 
we  will  gladly  supply. 

In  the  event  of  a  sufficient  response  to  our  call,  please  inform  us 
if  there  is  any  probability  of  our  government  placing  one  or  more 
steamers  on  the  route  between  here,  or  Port  Royal,  and  Liberia  for 
our  transportation  ;  and  if  so,  then  the  charge  for  passage  ;  and  if, 
to  those  unable  to  pay  ready  money,  time  will  be  given,  and  the  pay- 
ment received  in  produce  ? 

Tens  of  thousands  are  now  eager  to  go  from  this  State  alone,  but 
we  want  a  complete  exodus,  if  possible,  from  the  whole  United 
States  ;  thus  leaving  you  a  homogeneous  people,  opening  up  an  im- 
mense market  for  your  products,  giving  a  much  required  impetus  to 
your  trade,  commerce,  and  manufactures  ;  and  for  ourselves  attaining 
a  position  where,  removed  from  under  the  shade  of  a  "  superior 
race,"  we  will  have  full  opportunity  for  developing  whatever  capa- 
city of  soul  growth  our  Creator  has  endowed  us  with. 

That  Africa  will  be  developed,  and  chiefly  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  its  five  millions  of  descendants  in  America,  is  certain. 
Now  the  question  is,  who  shall  have  the  chief  handling  and  conse- 
quent benefit  of  this  grand  instrument,  next  to  itself,  of  course,  for 
we  are  treating  of  a  sentient  instrumentality.  We  beseech  you  that 
you  do  not  send  us,  Columbus  like,  from  court  to  court  offering  the 
development  of  a  new  world  to  incredulous  ears.  We  are  asking 
the  President  of  Liberia,  the  American  Colonization  Society,  and  all 
friends  of  the  measure,  for  their  aid,  advice,  and  co-operation. 

We  desire  to  carry  our  first  shipmeut  of  emigrants  not  later  than 
September  or  October  proximo. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   "WEST   POINT.  275 

We  have  the  honor  to  be,  Sir,  in  all  respect  and  loyalty,  yours  to 
command. 

The  Council  of  the  L.  E.  A.     By  our  President, 

B.  F.  Porter, 

Pastor  Morris  Brown  A.  M.  E.  Church. 
Geo.  Curtis,  Corresponding  Secretary. 

Here  is  an  article  from  some  paper  in  New 
Orleans.  Contempt  is  all  it  deserves.  I  am  sure  all 
my  readers  will  treat  it  as  I  do.  Frogs  will  croak, 
won' t  they  ? 

LIEUTENANT   FLIPPER. 

"  With  the  successful  examination  of  the  colored  cadet  Flipper,  at 
West  Point,  and  his  appearance  in  the  gazette  as  a  full-fledged  lieu- 
tenant of  cavalry,  the  long  vexed  question  has  been  settled  just  as  it 
ceased  to  be  a  question  of  any  practical  import.  Out  of  three  or 
four  experiments  Flipper  is  the  one  success.  As  the  whole  South 
has  now  passed  into  Democratic  control,  and  the  prospect  for  South- 
ern Republican  congressmen  is  small,  the  experiments  will  hardly  be 
repeated,  and  he  must  stand  for  those  that  might  have  been. 

"It  would  be  interesting  to  know  how  Flipper  is  to  occupy  his  time. 
The  usual  employments  of  young  lieutenants  are  of  a  social  nature, 
such  as  leading  the  German  at  Narraganset  Pier  and  officiating  in  select 
private  theatricals  in  the  great  haunts  of  Fashion.  Flipper  is  de- 
scribed as  a  little  bow-legged  grif  of  the  most  darkly  coppery  hue, 
and  of  a  general  pattern  that  even  the  most  enthusiastic  would  find  it 
hard  to  adopt.  Flipper  is  not  destined  to  uphold  the  virtues  and 
graces  of  his  color  in  the  salons  of  Boston  and  New  York,  then,  nor 
can  he  hope  to  escape  the  disagreeably  conspicuous  solitude  he  now 
inhabits  among  his  fellow-officers  through  any  of  those  agencies  of 
usage  and  familiarit)''  which  would  result  if  other  Flippers  were  to 
follow  him  into  the  army  and  help  to  dull  the  edge  of  the  innovation. 
Just  what  Flipper  is  to  do  with  himself  does  not  seem  altogether 
clear.  Even  the  excitement  of  leading  his  men  among  the  redskins 
will  be  denied  him,  now  that  Spotted  Tail  has  pacified  the  malcon- 
tents and  Sitting  Bull  has  retired  to  the  Canadas.  It  is  to  be  pre- 
sumed that  those  persons  who  patronized  Flipper  and  had  him  sent 
to  West  Point  are  gratified  at  the  conclusion,  and  there  is  a  sort  of 
reason  for  believing  that  Flipper  himself  is  contented  with  the  lot 


276  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

he  has  accepted  ;  but  whether  the  experiment  is  worth  all  the  an- 
noyance it  occasions  is  a  problem  not  so  easily  disposed  of. 

"  His  prospects  don't  appear  to  be  very  brilliant  as  regards  social 
delights  or  domestic  enjoyments,  but  of  course  that  is  Flipper's  busi- 
ness— not  ours.  It  merely  struck  us  that  things  had  happened  a  lit- 
tle unfortunately  for  him,  to  become  the  lonesome  representative  of 
h's  race  in  the  midst  of  associations  that  object  to  him  and  at  a  time 
when  the  supply  of  colored  officers  is  permanently  cut  off.  Per- 
sonally we  are  not  interested  in  Flipper." 

I  am  indebted  to  a  Houston  Texas,  paper  for  the 
following  : 

THE    COLORED    WEST   POINTER. 

"  We  had  a  call  yesterday  from  Lieutenant  H.  O.  Flipper,  of  the 
United  States  Army.  Mr.  Flipper,  it  will  be  remembered,  is  the  col- 
ored cadet  who  graduated  at  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point 
last  session,  occupying  in  his  class  a  position  that  secured  his  ap- 
pointment to  the  cavalry  service,  a  mark  of  distinction.  He  was 
gazetted  as  second  lieutenant  in  the  Tenth  Cavalry,  and  he  enjoys 
the  honor  of  being  the  first  colored  man  who  has  passed  by  all  the 
regular  channels  into  an  official  station  in  the  army. 

"This  young  officer  is  a  bright  mulatto,  tall  and  soldierly,  with  a 
quiet  unobtrusive  manner,  and  the  bearing  of  a  gentleman.  As  the 
forerunner  of  his  race  in  the  position  he  occupies,  he  is  placed  in  a 
delicate  and  trying  situation,  a  fact  which  he  realizes.  He  remarked 
that  he  knew  it  was  one  of  the  requirements  of  an  officer  of  the  army 
to  be  a  gentleman,  a  man  of  honor  and  integrity  under  all  circum- 
stances, and  he  hoped  to  be  equal  to  hislluties  in  this  regard.  He 
goes  on  to  Fort  Concho  to  join  his  regiment,  which  is  likely  to  have 
work  to  do  soon,  if  there  is  any  thing  in  the  signs  of  the  times. 

"We  bespeak  for  this  young  officer  the  just  consideration  to 
which  the  difficulties  of  his  position  entitle  him." 

I  was  originally  ordered  to  Fort  Concho,  but  at 
Houston,  Texas  I  met  my  lieutenant-colonel,  who 
informed  me  that  my  company  was  en  route  to  Fort 
Sill.  My  orders  were  then  changed,  and  I  proceeded 
to  Sill. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  277 

Here  is  another  article  from  a  paper  in  the  same 
place : 

THE   DIFFERENCE. 

"  The  Age  yesterday  had  a  call  from  Henry  O.  Flipper  second  lieu- 
tenant Tenth  United  States  Cavalry,  who  is  on  his  way  under  orders  to 
join  his  regiment  at  Fort  Concho.  So  far  there  is  nothing  very  un- 
usual in  this  item,  but  interest  will  be  given  to  it  when  we  add  that 
Lieutenant  Flipper  is  the  first  colored  graduate  of  "West  Point.  He 
went  to  the  institution  from  Georgia,  and  graduated  last  June,  fifty- 
fifth  in  a  class  of  seventy-six.  There  is  a  preponderance  of  white 
blood  in  his  veins,  and  in  general  appearance,  except  for  color,  he  is 
a  perfect  image  of  Senator  Plumb  of  Kansas.  He  reports  that  since 
he  has  struck  the  South  he  has  been  treated  like  a  gentleman,  which 
is  something  different  from  his  experience  in  tlve  North.  He  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Senator  Maxey  at  West  Point — the  Senator  himself 
being  a  graduate  of  the  Academy — and  regards  him  as  a  very  pleas- 
ant gentleman.  During  the  ten  minutes  he  spent  in  the  Age  editorial 
rooms  several  prominent  democrats  of  the  city  called  to  see  and 
shake  hands  with  him,  partly  out  of  curiosity  to  see  the  colored 
cadet  who  was  so  bitterly  persecuted  by  Northern  students  at  West 
Point,  and  partly  to  bid  him  a  welcome  to  the  South  such  as  none  of 
his  political  party  friends  would  have  thought  of  giving  him  in  the 
North.  Before  many  years  he  will  be,  as  all  intelligent  colored  men  will 
be,  a  democrat." 

Wherever  I  have  travelled  in  the  South  it  has 
been  thrown  into  my  face  that  the  Southern  people 
had,  would,  and  did  treat  me  better  than  the 
Northern  people.  This  is  wholly  untrue.  It  is  true 
that  the  men  generally  speak  kindly  and  treat  me 
with  due  courtesy,  but  never  in  a  single  instance  has 
a  Southern  man  introduced  me  to  his  wife  or  even 
invited  me  to  his  house.  It  was  done  North  in  every 
place  I  stopped.  In  many  cases,  when  invited  to 
visit  gentlemen's  residences,  they  have  told  me  they 
wanted  then"  wives  to  meet  me.  A  distinguished 
New  York  lady,  whose  name  has  occurred  in  print 


278  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

several  times  with  mine,  gave  me  with  her  own  hands 
a  handsome  floral  tribute,  just  after  receiving  my 
diploma.  During  five  months'  stay  in  the  South, 
after  my  graduation,  not  a  single  Southern  white 
woman  spoke  to  me.  I  mistake.  I  did  buy  some 
articles  from  one  who  kept  a  book-store  in  a  country 
town  in  Georgia.  This  is  the  only  exception.  This 
is  the  way  Southern  people  treated  me  better  than 
Northern  people.  The  white  people  (men)  of  Hous- 
ton, Texas,  showed  me  every  possible  courtesy  while 
I  was  there.  My  treatment  there  was  in  high  and 
honorable  contrast  to  that  I  received  in  Atlanta. 

Here  are  two  articles  that  have  a  few  words  to  say 
about  me.     I  adopt  and  quote  them  at  length  : 

{From  tlie  New  York  Tribune.) 

WEST   POINT. 

"  The  examinations  of  the  boys  in  the  national  school  have  become 
an  object  of  national  interest  this  year  more  than  any  other,  simply 
because  there  is  a  stagnation  of  other  news.  While  the  public  is 
waiting  for  an  outbreak  from  Kars  or  the  new  party,  it  has  leisure  to 
look  into  the  condition  of  these  incipient  officers.  Hence  reporters 
have  crowded  to  West  Point,  the  Board  of  Visitors  and  cadets  have 
both  been  quickened  to  unwonted  zeal  by  the  consciousness  of  the 
blaze  of  notoriety  upon  them,  and  the  country  has  read  with  satisfac- 
tion each  morning  of  searching  examinations  and  sweeping  cavalry 
charges,  giving  a  shrug,  however,  at  the  enthusiastic  recommenda- 
tion of  certain  members  of  the  board  that  the  number  of  "yearly  ap- 
pointments should  be  doubled  or  quadrupled.  In  this  cold  ague  of 
economy  with  which  the  nation  is  attacked  just  now,  and  which 
leaves  old  army  officers  unpaid  for  a  disagreeably  long  time,  the 
chances  of  any  addition  to  the  flock  in  the  nest  are  exceedingly  small. 
In  fact,  while  the  average  American  in  war  time  recognized  the  utility 
of  a  trained  band  of  tacticians,  he  is  apt  to  grumble  at  their  drain 
upon  his  pocket  in  piping  times  cf  peace.  Only  last  year  he  relieved 
himself  in  Congress  and  elsewhere  by  a  good  deal  of  portentous  talk- 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  279 

ing  as  to  the  expediency  of  doing  away  with  the  naval  and  military 
free  schools  altogether.  He  has,  in  short,  pretty  much  the  opinion  of 
the  army  officer  that  Hodge  has  of  his  parish  priest,  '  useful  enough 
for  Sundays  and  funerals,  but  too  consumedly  expensive  a  luxury  for 
week  days. '  # 

"  This  opinion,  no  doubt,  appears  simply  ludicrous  and  vulgar  to 
the  gallant  young  fellows  who  are  being  trained  for  their  country's 
service  up  the  Hudson,  and  who  already  look  upon  themselves  as  its 
supports  and  bulwarks,  but  there  is  a  substratum  of  common-sense  in 
it  which  we  commend  to  their  consideration,  because,  if  for  no  other 
reason,  that  the  average  American  is  the  man  who  pays  their  bills 
and  to  whom  they  owe  their  education  and  future  livelihood.  If  they 
do  not  accept  his  idea  of  the  conduct  and  motives  of  action  by 
which  they  may  properly  repay  him  the  debt  they  owe,  it  certainly 
is  fitting  that  their  own  idea  should  be  indisputably  a  higher  one.  We 
begin  to  doubt  whether  it  is  not  much  lower.  The  country,  in  estab- 
lishing this  school,  simply  proposed  to  train  a  band  of  men  skilled  to 
serve  it  when  needed  as  tacticians,  engineers,  or  disciplinarians  ;  the 
more  these  men  founded  their  conduct  on  the  bases  of  good  sense, 
honor,  and  republican  principles,  the  better  and  higher  would  be 
their  service.  The  idea  of  the  boys  themselves,  however,  within 
later  years,  seems  to  be  that  they  constitute  an  aristocratic  class  (moved 
by  any  thing  but  republican  principles)  entitled  to  lay  down  their 
own  laws  of  good-breeding  and  honor.  Accounts  which  reach  us  of 
their  hazing,  etc.,  and  notably  their  treatment  of  the  colored  cadets, 
show  that  these  notions  are  quite  different  from  those  accepted 
elsewhere.  Now  such  ideas  would  be  natural  in  pupils  of  the  great 
French  or  Austrian  military  schools,  where  admission  testifies  to  high 
rank  by  birth  or  to  long,  patient  achievement  on  the  part  of  the  stu- 
dent. But  really  our  boys  at  West  Point  must  remember  that  they 
'belong  to  a  nation  made  up  of  working  and  trades  men  ;  that  they  are 
the  sons  of  just  such  people  ;  that  the  colored  laborer  helps  to  pay 
for  their  support  as  well  as  that  of  the  representative  of  his  race  who 
sits  beside  them.  Furthermore,  they  have  done  nothing  as  yet  to 
entitle  them  to  assume  authority  in  such  matters.  They  have  recited 
certain  lessons,  learned  to  drill  and  ride,  and  to  wear  their  clothes 
with  precision  ;  but  something  more  is  needed.  The  knight  of  old 
was  skilled  in  gentleness  and  fine  courtesy  to  the  weak  and  unfortu- 
nate as  well  as  in  horsemanship.  It  was  his  manners,  not  his  trousers, 
which  were  beyond  reproach. 

"  It  is  not  as  trifling  a  matter  as  it  seems  that  these  young  felloAvs 


280  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

should  thus  imbibe  mistaken  ideas  of  their  own  position  or  the  re- 
quirements of  real  manliness  and  good-breeding.  The  greatest  mis- 
takes in  the  war  were  in  consequence  of  just  such  defects  in  some  of 
our  leading  officers,  and  the  slaughter  of  the  Indians  in  the  South- 
West  upon  two  occasions  proceeded  from  their  inability  to  recognize 
the  rights  of  men  of  a  different  color  from  themselves.  Even  in 
trifles,  however,  such  matters  follow  the  rule  of  inexorable  justice — 
as,  for  instance,  in  this  case  of  Cadet  Flipper,  who  under  ordinary- 
circumstances  might  have  passed  without  notice,  but  is  now  known 
from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other  as  a  credit  to  his  profession 
in  scholarship,  pluck,  and  real  dignity  ;  while  his  classmates  are 
scarcely  mentioned,  though  higher  in  rank,  except  in  relation  to  their 
cruel  and  foolish  conduct  toward  him." 

{From  the  New  York  World.) 

"  West  Point,  August  29. — In  my  earnest  desire  to  do  justice  to 
the  grand  ball  last  night  I  neglected  to  mention  the  arrival  of  the  new 
colored  candidate  for  admission  into  the  United  States,  Military  Aca- 
demy, although  I  saw  him  get  off  at  the  steamboat  landing  and  was 
a  witness  to  the  supreme  indifference  with  which  he  was  treated, 
save  by  a  few  personal  friends.  Minnie  passed  the  physical  examin- 
ation easily,  for  he  is  a  healthy  mulatto.  Whether  this  stern  Alma 
Mater  will  matriculate  him  is  still  a  question.  It  is  really  astonish- 
ing, and  perhaps  alarming,  in  view  of  the  enthusiastic  endeavors  of 
the  Republican  party  to  confer  upon  the  colored  race  all  the  rights 
and  privileges  of  citizens  of  the  United  States,  to  see  with  what  lofty 
contempt  every  candidate  for  academic  honors  who  is  in  the  slightest 
degree  '  off  color,'  is  received.  As  you  are  aware,  there  is  at  pres- 
ent a  colored,  or  partly  colored,  cadet  in  the  Freshman  Class— 
Whittaker  by  name.  This  poor  young  mulatto  is  completely  ostra-« 
cized  not  only  by  West  Point  society,  but  most  thoroughly  by  the 
corps  of  cadets  itself.  Flipper  got  through  all  right,  and,  strange  to 
say,  the  cadets  seem  to  have  a  certain  kind  of  respect  for  him,  al- 
though he  was  the  darkest  '  African  '  that  has  yet  been  seen  among 
the  West  Point  cadets.  Flipper  had  remarkable  pluck  and  nerve, 
and  was  accorded  his  parchment — well  up  on  the  list,  too — at  last 
graduation  day.     He  is  made  of  sterner  staff  than  poor  Whittaker. 

"  A  most  surprising  fact  is  that  not  one  of  the  cadets— and  I  think 
I  might  safely  include  the  professors — tries  to  dissemble  his  animos- 
ity for  the  black,  mulatto,  or  octoroon  candidate.     When  I  asked  a 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  2 SI 

cadet  to-day  some  questions  concerning  the  treatment  of  Cadet 
Whittaker  by  the  corps,  he  said  :  '  Oh,  we  get  along  very  well,  sir. 
The  cadets  simply  ignore  him,  and  he  understands  very  well  that  we 
do  not  intend  to  associate  with  him.'  This  cadet  and  several  others 
were  asked  whether  Minnie,  if  admitted,  would  also  be  ostracized 
socially.  Their  only  answer  was  :  '  Certainly  ;  that  is  well  under- 
stood by  all.  We  don't  associate  with  these  men,  but  they  have  all 
the  rights  that  we  have  nevertheless. '  I  asked  if  he  knew  whether 
Whittaker  attended  the  ball  last  night.  The  cadet  said  he  didn't  see 
him  at  the  ball,  but  that  he  might  have  been  looking  on  from  the 
front  stoop  !  '  How  does  this  young  man  Whittaker  usually  amuse 
himself  when  the  rest  of  the  boys  are  at  play  ? '  I  asked.  '  Well, 
we  don't  get  much  play,  and  I  think  that  Whittaker  has  as  much  as 
he  can  do  to  attend  to  his  studies.  He  managed  to  pull  through  at 
last  examination,  but  I  doubt  if  he  ever  graduates,'  was  the  reply. 
Meeting  another  cadet  to  whom  I  had  been  introduced  I  asked  what 
he  had  heard  of  the  prospects  of  the  new  colored  candidate,  Minnie. 
'  I  haven't  heard  any  thing,  but  I  hope  he  won't  get  through,'  said 
the  cadet.  Another  cadet  who  stood  near  said  that  the  case  of  Flipper, 
who  graduated  so  successfully,  was  an  exceptional  one.  Flipper  didn't 
care  for  any  thing  except  to  graduate,  but  he  was  confident  that  these 
other  colored  cadets  would  fail.  So  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascer- 
tain, the  Faculty  have  never  attempted  to  prevent  the  colored  cadets 
from  having  an  equal  chance  with  their  white  fellows.  In  fact  un- 
der the  present  management  it  would  be  next  to  impossible  for  them 
to  do  so." 

I  can't  let  tins  article  pass  without  quoting  a  few 
words  from  a  letter  I  have  from  Whittaker,  now  at 
West  Point.     He  says  : 

"  I  have  been  treated  bully  since  I  came  in  from  camp  (of  sum- 
mer of  '77).    Got  only  one  '  skin  '  last  month  (Deccember,  '77).     I  am 

still  under  ' '  (tactical  officer),  and  he  treats  me  bully  ;  he  wanted 

to  have  a  man  court-martialled,  when  we  were  in  camp,  for  refusing 
to  close  up  on  me.     One  day  a  corporal  put  me  in  the  rear  rank  when 

there  were  plebes  in  the  front  rank,  and told  him  if  any  such  act 

ever  occurred  again  he  would  have  him  and  the  fde  confined  to  the 
guard-house.     He  has  never  '  skinned '  me  since  you  left.     He  is 

O.K.  towards  me,  and  the  others  are  afraid  of  him As 

I  am  sitting  in    my  room  on  third    floor,    sixth  'div,'a   kind  of 


2S2  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

sadness  creeps  over  me,  for  I  am  all  alone.  Minnie  went  home  on  last 
Friday.  He  was  weighed  in  the  '  math '  scale  and  found  want- 
ing. The  poor  fellow  did  not  study  his  '  math  '  and  could  not  help 
being  '  found.'  He  was  treated  fairly  and  squarely,  but  he  did  not 
study.  I  did  all  I  could  to  help  and  encourage  him,  but  it  was  all  in 
vain,  He  did  not  like (an  instructor)  very  much,  and  a  careless- 
ness seized  him,  which  resulted  in  his  dismissal.  I  was  sorry  to  see 
him  go  away,  and  he  himself  regretted  it  very  much.  He  saw  his 
great  error  only  when  it  was  too  late.  On  the  day  he  left  he  told  me 
that  he  did  not  really  study  a  '  math  '  lesson  since  he  entered  ;  and 
was  then  willing  to  give  any  thing  to  remain  and  redeem  himself. 
He  had  a  very  simple  subject  on  examination,  and  when  he  came 
back  he  told  me  that  he  had  not  seen  the  subject  for  some  two  or  three 
weeks  before,  and  he,  consequently,  did  not  know  what  to  put  on  the 
board.  All  he  had  on  it  was  wrong,  and  he  could  not  make  his  de- 
monstration. ' ' 

The  World  reporter  seems  to  be  as  ignorant  as 
some  of  the  others.  I  was  by  no  means  the  "  dark- 
est '  African '  that  has  yet  been  seen  among  the  West 
Point  cadets."  Howard,  who  reported  in  1870  with 
Smith,  was  unadulterated,  as  also  were  Werle  and 
White,  who  reported  in  1874.  There  were  others  who 
were  also  darker  than  I  am  :  Gibbs  and  Napier,  as  I 
am  informed.     I  never  saw  the  last  two. 

The  Brooklyn  Eagle  is  more  generous  in  its 
views.     It  proposes  to  utilize  me.     See  what  it  says  : 

"  Probably  Lieutenant  Flipper  could  be  made  much  more  usef u 
than  as  a  target  for  Indian  bullets,  if  our  government  would  with- 
draw him  from  the  army  and  place  him  in  some  colored  college,  where 
he  could  teach  the  pupils  engineering,  so  that  when  they  reach  Africa 
they  could  build  bridges,  railroads,  etc." 

This  article  was  signed  by  "  H.  W.  B."  It  is  not 
difficult  to  guess  who  that  is. 

I  have  had  considerable  correspondence  with  an 
army  officer,    a  stranger  to  me,  on  this  subject  of 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  233 

being  detailed  at  some  college.  He  is  of  opinion  it 
would  be  best  for  me.  I  could  not  agree  with  him. 
After  I  joined  my  company  an  effort  (unknown  to 
me)  was  made  by  the  Texas  Mechanical  and  Agri- 
cultural College  to  have  me  detailed  there.  It  was 
published  in  the  papers  that  I  had  been  so  detailed. 
I  made  some  inquiries,  learned  of  the  above  state- 
ments, and  that  the  effort  had  completely  failed. 
Personally  I'd  rather  remain  with  my  company.  I 
have  no  taste  and  no  tact  for  teaching.  I  would 
decline  any  such  appointment. 

{From  the  Thomasville  (Ga.)  Times.) 
"Wm.  Flipper,  the  colored  cadet,  has  graduated  at  "West  Point 
and  been  commissioned  as  a  second  lieutenant  of  cavalry  in  the 
United  States  Army.  He  is  the  first  colored  individual  who  ever  held 
a  commission  in  the  army,  and  it  remains  to  be  seen  how  the  thing 
will  work.  Flipper's  father  resides  here,  and  is  a  first-class  boot  and 
shoe  maker.  A  short  time  back  he  stated  that  he  had  no  idea  his 
son  would  be  allowed  to  graduate,  but  he  will  be  glad  to  know  that 
he  was  mistaken." 

Of    course  everybody   knows  my  name  is  not 
William. 

(From  the  Thomasville  (Ga.)  Enterprise.) 
"Lieutenant  Henry  O.  Flipper  of  the  United  States  Army  is  spend- 
ing a  few  days  here  with  his  father's  family,  he  has  been  on  the  streets 
very  little,  spending  most  of  his  time  at  home.  He  wears  an  undress 
uniform  and  deports  himself,  so  far  as  we  have  heard,  with  perfect 
propriety.  This  we  believe  he  has  done  since,  his  graduation,  with 
the  exception  of  his  unnecessary  and  uncalled-for  criticisms  on  the 
Southern  people  in  his  Atlanta  speech.  He  made  a  mistake  there  ; 
one  which  his  sense  and  education  ought  to  teach  him  not  to  repeat. 
Not  that  it  would  affect  our  people,  or  that  the}'  care  about  it,  but 
for  his  own  good."* 

*  In  all  the  places  I  visited  after  graduation  I  was  treated  with  the  utmost  respect 
and  courtesy  except  in  Atlanta.  The  white  people,  with  one  exception,  didn't  no- 
tice me  at  all.    All  foreigners  treated  mc  with  all  due  consideration.    One  young 


2S4  THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT. 

That  "  undress  uniform"  was  a  "  cit "  suit  of  blue 
Cheviot.  The  people  there,  like  those  in  Atlanta, 
don't  seem  to  know  a  black  button  from  a  brass  one, 
or  a  civilian  suit  from  a  military  uniform. 

{From  the  Charleston  (8.  C.)  JVews  and  Courier.) 
THE    COLORED    WESTPOINTER. 

"  Lieutenant  II.  O.  Flipper,  the  colored  graduate  of  West 
Point, was  entertained  in  style  at  Tully's,  King  Street,  Tuesday  night. 
The  hosts  were  a  colored  organization  called  the  Amateur  Literary 
and  Fraternal  Association,  which  determined  that  the  lieutenant  who 
will  leave  this  city  to-day  to  join  his  regiment,  the  Tenth  Cavalry, 
now  in  Texas,  should  not  do  so  without  some  evidence  of  their  ap- 
preciation of  him  personally,  and  of  the  fact  that  he  had  reflected 
credit  on  their  race  by  passing  through  the  National  Academy. 
Over  forty  persons  were  at  the  entertainment,  to  whom  the  lieuten- 
ant was  presented  by  A.  J.  Ransier,  the  colored  ex-member  of  Con- 
gress. The  lieutenant  responded  briefly,  as  he  has  invariably 
done,  and  expressed  his  warm  thanks  for  the  courtesy  shown  by  the 
association.  A  number  of  sentiments  were  offered  and  speeches 
made,  and  the  evening  passed  off  very  agreeably  to  all,  especially  so 
to  the  recipient  of  the  hospitality. 

"  Lieutenant  Flipper  expects  to  start  to-day  for  Texas.  While  he 
has  been  in  this  city  he  has  made  friends  with  whites  and  blacks  by 
he  sensible  course  he  has  pursued." 


man,  whom  I  knew  many  years,  who  has  sold  mc  many  an  article,  and  awaited 
my  convenience.for  his  pay,  and  who  met  me  in  New  York,  and  walked  and  talked 
with  me,  hung  his  head  and  turned  away  from  me,  just  as  I  was  about  to  address 
him  on  a  street  in  Atlanta.  Again  and  again  have  I  passed  and  repassed  acquaint- 
ances on  the  streets  without  any  sign  of  recognition,  even  when  I  have  addressed 
them.  Whenever  I  have  entered  any  of  their  stores  for  any  purpose,  they  have 
almost  invariably  "  gotten  off  "  some  stuff  about  attempts  on  the  part  of  the  author- 
ities at  West  Point  to  "freeze  me  out,"  or  about  better  treatment  from  Southern 
boys  than  from  those  of  the  North.  That  is  how  they  treated  me  in  Atlanta,  al- 
though I  had  lived  there  over  fourteen  years,  and  was  known  by  nearly  every  one  in 
the  city.  In  Thomasville,  Southwest,  Ga.,  where  I  was  bom,  and  which  I  had 
not  seen  for  eighteen  years,  I  was  received  and  treated  by  the  whites  almost  as  one 
of  themselves. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  285 

(From  the  Charleston  {8.  C.)  Commercial.) 
LIEUTENANT   FLIPPER'S   ENTERTAINMENT. 

"  The  Amateur  Literary  and  Fraternal  Association,  of  which  A.  J. 
Ransier  is  the  President,  learning  that  Lieutenant  Flipper,  of  the 
United  States  Cavalry,  was  preparing  to  depart  to  the  position  as- 
signed him  on  duty  on  the  plains  in  Texas,  at  once  determined  to  give 
him  a  reception,  and  for  this  purpose  the  following  committee  was 
appointed  to  arrange  the  details  and  programme  for  an  entertainment  : 
J.  N.  Gregg,  W.  H.  Birny,  A.  J.  Ransier,  C.  C.  Leslie,  and  George 
A.  Gibson. 

"  The  arrangements  were  made,  and  the  members  of  the  association 
and  invited  guests  to  the  number  of  some  forty,  of  the  most  respecta- 
ble colored  people  of  Charleston,  met  last  night  at  Tully's  Hall, 
King  Street,  where  a  bounteous  feast  was  prepared  for  the  occasion. 
The  guest,  Lieutenant  Flipper,  soon  arrived,  and  was  introduced  to 
the  party,  and,  in  the  course  of  time,  all  sat  down  at  the  table,  upon 
which  was  spread  the  most  palatable  dishes  which  the  king  caterer  of 
Charleston  could  prepare.    This  was  vigorously  attacked  by  all. 

"  Wines  were  then  brought  on,  and  speech-making  introduced  as  a 
set  off.  A.  J.  Ransier,  in  one  of  his  usual  pleasant  speeches,  intro- 
duced Lieutenant  Flipper,  paying  him  a  deserved  tribute  for  his  suc- 
cess in  the  attainment  of  the  first  commission  issued  to  a  colored 
graduate  of  West  Point. 

"  Lieutenant  Flipper,  in  a  brief  and  courteous  speech,  acknowl- 
edged the  compliment,  and  thanked  the  association  for  the  kind  at- 
tention paid  him,  promising  them  that  in  his  future  career  in  the  army 
of  his  country  he  would  ever  strive  to  maintain  a  position  which 
would  do  credit  to  his  race. 

"  W.  II.  Birney  next  responded  in  eloquent  terms  to  the  toast, 
'  The  State  of  South  Carolina. '  J.  1ST.  Gregg  was  called  upon,  and 
responded  in  a  wise  and  discreet  manner  to  the  toast  of  '  The  Future 
of  the  Colored  Man  in  this  Country. '  '  The  Press  '  and '  Woman'  were 
next  respectively  toasted,  and  responded  to  by  Ransier  and  F.  A. 
Carmand.  Other  speeches  were  made  by  C.  C.  Leslie,  J.  J.  Connor, 
and  others,  and  at  a  late  hour  the  party  retired,  after  a  most  pleasant 
evening's  enjoyment.     Lieutenant  Flipper  leaves  for  Texas  to-mor- 

TOW." 

Before  closing  my  narrative  I  desire  to  perform  a 
very  pleasant  duty.     I  sincerely  believe  that  all  my 


286  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

success  at  West  Point  is  due  not  so  much  to  my  per- 
severance and  general  conduct  there  as  to  the  early 
moral  and  mental  training  I  received  at  the  hands  of 
those  philanthropic  men  and  women  who  left  their 
pleasant  homes  in  the  North  to  educate  and  elevate 
the  black  portion  of  America's  citizens,  and  that, 
too,  to  their  own  discomfort  and  disadvantage.  How 
they  have  borne  the  sneers  of  the  Southern  press,  the 
ostracism  from  society  in  the  South,  the  dangers  of 
Kuklux  in  remote  counties,  to  raise  up  a  downtrod- 
den race,  not  for  personal  aggrandizement,  but  for 
the  building  up  and  glory  of  His  kingdom  who  is  no 
respecter  of  persons,  is  surely  worthy  our  deepest 
gratitude,  our  heartfelt  thanks,  and  our  prayers  and 
blessing.  Under  the  training  of  a  good  Christian  old 
lady,  too  old  for  the  Avork,  but  determined  to  give 
her  mite  of  instruction,  I  learned  to  read  and  to 
cipher — this  in  1866.  From  her  I  was  placed  under 
control  of  a  younger  person,  a  man.  From  him  I 
passed  to  the  control  of  another  lady  at  the  famous 
"  Storr's  School."  I  remained  under  her  for  two 
years  more  or  less,  when  I  passed  to  the  control  of 
another  lady  in  what  was  called  a  Normal  School. 
From  here  I  went  to  the  Atlanta  University,  and 
prepared  for  the  college  course,  which  in  due  time  I 
took  up.  This  course  of  training  was  the  foundation 
of  all  my  after-success.  The  discipline,  which  I 
learned  to  heed,  because  it  was  good,  has  been  of  in- 
calculable benefit  to  me.  It  has  restrained  and 
shaped  my  temper  on  many  an  occasion  when  to 
have  yielded  to  it  would  have  been  ruin.  It  has 
regulated  my  acts  when  to  have  committed  them  as 
I  contemplated  would  have  been  base  unmanliness. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  237 

And  it  lias  made  my  conduct  in  all  cases  towards 
others  generous,  courteous,  and  Christian,  when  it 
might  otherwise  have  been  mean,  base,  and  degrad- 
ing. It  taught  me  to  be  meek,  considerate,  and 
kind,  and  I  have  verily  been  benefited  by  it. 

The  mind-training  has  been  no  less  useful.  Its 
thoroughness,  its  completeness,  and  its  variety  made 
me  more  than  prepared  to  enter  on  the  curriculum 
of  studies  prescribed  at  West  Point.  A  less 
thorough,  complete,  or  varied  training  would  never 
have  led  to  the  success  I  achieved.  I  was  not  pre- 
pared expressly  for  West  Point.  This  very  thorough- 
ness made  me  competent  to  enter  any  college  in  the 
land. 

How  my  heart  looks  back  and  swells  with  grati- 
tude to  these  trainers  of  my  youth  !  My  gratitude 
is  deeply  felt,  but  my  ability  to  express  it  is  poor. 
May  Heaven  reward  them  with  long  years  of  happi- 
ness and  usefulness  here,  and  when  this  life  is  over, 
and  its  battles  won,  may  they  enter  the  bright  por- 
tals of  heaven,  and  at  His  feet  and  from  His  own 
hands  receive  crowns  of  immortal  glory. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

TAMES  WEBSTER  SMITH,  a  native  of  South 
^  Carolina,  was  appointed  to  a  cadetship  at  the 
United  States  Military  Academy  at  West  Point,  New 
York,  in  1870,  by  the  Hon.  S.  L.  Hoge.  He  re- 
ported, as  instructed,  at  the  Military  Academy  in  the 
early  summer  of  1870,  and  succeeded  in  passing  the 
physical  and  intellectual  examination  prescribed, 
and  was  received  as  a  "conditional  cadet."  At  the 
same  time  one  Howard  reported,  but  unfortunately 
did  not  succeed  in  "  getting  in." 

In  complexion  Smith  was  rather  light,  possibly 
an  octoroon.  Howard,  on  the  contrary,  was  black. 
Howard  had  been  a  student  at  Howard  University, 
as  also  had  been  Smith.  Smith,  before  entering  the 
Academy,  had  graduated  at  the  Hartford  High 
School,  and  was  well  prepared  to  enter  upon  the  new 
course  of  studies  at  West  Point. 

In  studies  he  went  through  the  first  year"  s  course 
without  any  difficulty,  but  unfortunately  an  affaire 
d'honneur — a  "  dipper  fight" — caused  Mm  to  be 
put  back  one  year  in  his  studies  In  going  over  this 
course  again  he  stood  very  high  in  his  class,  but 
when  it  was  finished  he  began  going  down  gradually 
until  he  became  a  member  of  the  last  section  of  his 
class,  an  "immortal,"  as  we  say,  and  in  constant 
danger  of  being  "  found." 

He  continued  his  course  in  this  part  of  his  class 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT  WEST   POINT.  289 

till  the  end  of  his  second  class  year,  when  he  was 
declared  deficient  in  natural  and  experimental  phi- 
losophy, and  dismissed.  At  this  time  he  had  been 
in  the  Academy  four  years,  but  had  been  over 
only  a  three-years'  course,  and  would  not  have 
graduated  until  the  end  of  the  next  year,  June, 
1875. 

As  to  his  trials  and  experiences  while  a  cadet,  I 
shall  permit  him  to  speak.  The  following  articles 
embrace  a  series  of  letters  written  by  him,  after  his 
dismissal,  to  the  New  National  Era  and  Citizen, 
the  political  organ  of  the  colored  people,  published 
at  Washington,  D.  C.  : 

THE   COLORED    CADET   AGAIN. 
PERTINENT    OR  IMPERTINENT  CARD  FROJI  CADET   SHITH. 

"  Columbia,  S.  C,  July  27,  1874. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  National  Republican : 

"  Sir  :  I  saw  an  article  yesterday  in  one  of  our  local  papers,  copied 
from  the  Brooklyn  Argus,  concerning  my  dismissal  from  the  Military 
Academy.  The  article  referred  to  closes  as  follows  :  '  Though  he 
has  written  letters  to  his  friends,  and  is  quite  sanguine  about  returning 
and  finally  graduating,  the  professors  and  cadets  say  there  is  not  the 
slightest  chance.  Said  a  professor  to  a  friend,  the  other  day  :  "  It  will 
be  a  long  time  before  any  one  belonging  to  the  colored  race  can  grad- 
uate at  West  Point."  ' 

"  Now,  Sir,  I  would  like  to  ask  a  few  questions  through  the  columns 
of  your  paper  concerning  these  statements,  and  would  be  glad  to  have 
them  answered  by  some  of  the  knowing  ones. 

"  In  the  first  place,  what  do  the  professors  and  cadets  know  of  my 
chances  for  getting  back,  and  if  they  know  any  thing,  how  did  they 
find  it  out  ?  At  an  interview  which  I  had  with  the  Secretary  of  War, 
on  the  17th  instant,  he  stated  that  he  went  to  West  Point  this  year  for 
a  purpose,  and  that  he  was  there  both  before  and  after  my  examina- 
tion, and  conversed  with  some  of  the  professors  concerning  me. 
Now,  did  that  visit  and  those  conversations  have  any  thing  to  do  with 


290  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

the  finding  of  the  Academic  Board  ?  Did  they  have  any  thing  to  do 
with  that  wonderful  wisdom  and  foresight  displayed  by  the  professors 
and  cadets  in  commenting  upon  my  chances  for  getting  back  ?  Why 
should  the  Secretary  of  War  go  to  West  Point  this  year  '  for  a  pur- 
pose,' and  converse  with  the  professors  about  me  both  before  and  after 
the  examination  ?  Besides,  he  spoke  of  an  interview  he  had  had  with 
Colonel  Ruger,  Superintendent  of  the  Academy,  in  New  York,  on  Sun- 
day, the  12th  instant,  in  reference  to  me  ;  during  which  Colonel  Ruger 
had  said  that  the  Academic  Board  would  not  recommend  me  to  return. 
Is  it  very  wonderful  that  the  Academic  Board  should  refuse  such  rec- 
ommendation after  those  very  interesting  conversations  which  were 
held  '  both  before  and  after  the  recommendation  ? '  Why  was  the 
secretary  away  from  West  Point  at  the  time  of  the  examination. 

"  In  the  next  place,  by  what  divine  power  does  that  learned  oracle, 
a  professor,  prophesy  that  it  will  be  a  long  time  before  any  one  be- 
longing to  the  colored  race  can  graduate  at  West  Point  ?  It  seems 
that  he  must  have  a  wonderful  knowledge  of  the  negro  that  he  can 
tell  the  abilities  of  all  the  colored  boys  in  America.  But  it  is  possible 
that  he  is  one  of  the  younger  professors,  perhaps  the  professor  of  phi- 
losophy, and  therefore  expects  to  live  and  preside  over  that  depart- 
ment for  a  long  time,  though  to  the  unsophisticated  mind  it  looks 
very  much  as  though  he  would  examine  a  colored  cadet  on  the  color 
of  his  face. 

' '  I  think  he  could  express  himself  better  and  come  much  nearer  the 
truth  by  substituting  shall  for  can  in  that  sentence.  Of  course,  while 
affairs  remain  at  West  Point  as  they  have  always  been,  and  are  now, 
no  colored  boy  will  graduate  there  ;  but  there  are  some  of  us  wTho  are 
sanguine  about  seeiDg  a  change,  even  if  we  can't  get  back. 

"  J.  W.  Smith, 
"Late  Cadet  U.  8.  M.  A." 

THE    DIPPER   DIFFICULTY. 

"  Columbia,  S.   C,  July  30,  1874. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  New  National  Era  : 

"  As  I  told  you  in  my  last  communication,  I  shall  now  proceed  to 
give  you  an  account  of  my  four  years'  stay  at  West  Point. 

"  I  reported  there  on  the  31st  of  May,  1870,  and  had  not  been  there 
an  hour  before  I  had  been  reminded  by  several  thoughtful  cadets  that 
I  was  '  nothing  but  a  d — d  nigger.'  Another  colored  boy,  Howard, 
of  Mississippi,  reported  on  the  same  day,  and  we  were  put  in  the  same 


THE    COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  291 

room,  "where  we  stayed  until  the  preliminary  examination  was  over, 
and  Howard  was  sent  away,  as  he  failed  to  pass. 

"  While  we  were  there  we  could  not  meet  a  cadet  anywhere  with, 
out  having  the  most  opprobrious  epithets  applied  to  us  ;  but  after 
complaining  two  or  three  times,  we  concluded  to  pay  no  attention  to 
such  things,  for,  as  we  did  not  know  these  cadets,  we  could  get  no 
satisfaction. 

"  One  night  about  twelve  o'clock  some  one  came  into  our  room, 
and  threw  the  contents  of  his  slop-pail  over  us  while  we  were  asleep. 
We  got  to  our  door  just  in  time  to  hear  the  '  gentleman '  go 
into  his  room  on  the  floor  above  us.  This  affair  reported  itself  the 
next  morning  at  '  Police  Inspection,'  and  the  inspector  ordered 
us  to  search  among  the  tobacco  quids,  and  other  rubbish  on  the 
floor,  for  something  by  which  we  might  identify  the  perpetrator 
of  the  affair.  The  search  resulted  in  the  finding  of  an  old  en- 
velope, addressed  to  one  McCord,  of  Kentucky.  That  young  '  gen- 
tleman '  was  questioned  in  reference,  but  succeeded  in  convincing 
the  authorities  that  he  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  affair  and 
knew  nothing  of  it. 

' '  A  few  days  after  that,  Howard  was  struck  in  the  face  by  that 
young  'gentleman,'  'because,'  as  he  says,  'the  d — d  nigger  didn't 
get  out  of  the  way  when  I  was  going  into  the  boot-black's  shop. ' 
For  that  offence  Mr.  McCord  was  confined  to  his  room,  but  was 
never  punished,  as  in  a  few  days  thereafter  he  failed  at  the  pre- 
liminary examination,  and  was  sent  away  with  all  the  other  unfortu- 
nates, including  Howard. 

"  On  the  28lhof  June,  1ST0,  those  of  us  who  had  succeeded  in  pass- 
ing the  preliminary  examination  were  taken  in  '  plcbe  camp,'  and 
there  I  got  my  taste  of  '  military  discipline,'  as  the  petty  persecu- 
tions of  about  two  hundred  cadets  were  called.  Left  alone  as  I  was, 
by  Howard's  failure,  I  had  to  take  every  insult  that  was  offered,  with- 
out saying  anything,  for  I  had  complained  several  times  to  the  Com- 
mandant of  Cadets,  and,  after  '  investigating  the  matter,'  he  invari- 
ably came  to  the  conclusion,  'from  the  evidence  deduced,'  that  I 
was  in  the  wrong,  and  I  was  cautioned  that  I  had  better  be  very  par- 
ticular about  any  statements  that  I  might  make,  as  the  regulations 
were  very  strict  on  the  subject  of  veracity. 

"  Whenever  the  '  plebes  '  (new  cadets)  were  turned  out  to  '  police ' 
camp,  as  they  were  each  day  at  5  a.m.  and  4  p.m.,  certain  cadets 
would  come  into  the  company  street  and  spit  out  quids  of  tobacco 
which  they  would  call  for  me  to  pick  up.     I  would  get  a  broom  and 


292      THE  COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

shovel  for  the  purpose,  but  they  would  immediately  begin  swearing  at 
and  abusing  'me  for  not  using  my  fingers,  and  then  the  corporal  of 
police  would  order  me  to  put  down  that  broom  and  shovel,  '  and  not 
to  try  to  play  the  gentleman  here,'  for  my  fingers  were  '  made  for 
that  purpose. '  Finding  there  was  no  redress  to  be  had  there,  I  wrote 
my  friend  Mr.  David  Clark,  of  Hartford,  Ct.,to  do  something  for 
me.  He  had  my  letter  published,  and  that  drew  the  attention  of  Con- 
gress to  the  matter,  and  a  board  was  sent  to  "West  Point  to  inquire 
into  the  matter  and  report  thereon.  That  board  found  out  that 
several  cadets  were  guilty  of  conduct  unbecoming  a  cadet  and  a  gen- 
tleman and  recommended  that  they  be  court-martialled,  but  the  Secre- 
tary of  War  thought  a  reprimand  Avould  be  sufficient.  Among  those 
reprimanded  were  Q.  O'M.  Gillmore,  son  of  General  Gillmore  ;  Alex. 
B.  Dyer,  son  of  General  Dyer  ;  and  James  H.  Reid,  nephew  of  the 
Secretary  of  War  (it  is  said).  I  was  also  reprimanded  for  writing  let- 
ters for  publication. 

"  Instead  of  doing  good,  these  reprimands  seemed  only  to  increase 
the  enmity  of  the  cadets,  and  they  redoubled  their  energies  to  get  me 
into  difficulty,  and  they  went  on  from  bad  to  worse,  until  from  words 
they  came  to  blows,  and  then  occurred  that  '  little  onpleasantness  ' 
known  as  the  '  dipper  fight.'  On  the  13th  of  August,  1870,  I,  being 
on  guard,  was  sent  to  the  tank  for  a  pail  of  water.  I  had  to  go  a  dis- 
tance of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards,  fill  the  pail  by  drawing  wa- 
ter from  the  faucet  in  a  dipper  (the  faucet  was  too  low  to  permit  the  pail 
to  stand  under  it),  and  return  to  the  guard  tent  in  ten  minutes.  When  I 
reached  the  tank,  one  of  my  classmates,  J.  W.  Wilson,  was  standing 
in  front  of  the  faucet  drinking  water  from  a  dipper.  He  didn's  seem 
inclined  to  move,  so  I  asked  him  to  stand  aside  as  I  wanted  to  get 
water  for  the  guard.  jf.He  said  :  '  I'd  like  to  see  any  d — d  nigger  get 
water  before  I  get  through.'  I  said  :  '  I'm  on  duty,  and  I've  got  no 
time  to  fool  with  you,'  and  I  pushed  the  pail  toward  the  faucet.  He 
kicked  the  pail  over,  and  I  set  it  up  and  stooped  down  to  draw  the 
water,  and  then  he  struck  at  me  with  his  dipper,  but  hit  the  brass 
plate  on  the  front  of  "my  hat  and  broke  his  dipper.  I  was  stooping 
down  at  the  time,  but  I  stood  up  and  struck  him  in  the  face  with  my 
left  fist ;  but  in  getting  up  I  did  not  think  of  a  tent  fly  that  was 
spread  over  the  tank,  and  that  pulled  my  hat  down  over  my  eyes. 
He  then  struck  me  in  the  face  with  the  handle  of  his  dipper  (he  broke 
his  dipper  at  the  first  blow),  and  then  I  struck  him  two  or  three  times 
with  my  dipper,  battering  it,  and  cutting  him  very  severely  on  the 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  293 

left  side  of  his  head  near  the  temple.     He  bled  very  profusely,  and 
fell  on  the  ground  near  the  tank. 

"  The  alarm  soon  spread  through  the  camp,  and  all  the  cadets  came 
running  to  the  tank  and  swearing  vengeance  on  the  '  d — d  nigger. ' 

' '  An  officer  who  was  in  his  tent  near  by  came  out  and  ordered  me 
to  be  put  under  guard  in  one  of  the  guard  tents,  where  I  was  kept 
until  next  morning,  when  I  was  put  '  in  arrest. '  Yfilson  was  taken 
to  the  hospital,  where  he  stayed  two  or  three  weeks,  and  as  soon  as 
be  returned  to  duty  he  was  also  placed  in  arrest.  This  was  made  the 
subject  for  a  court-martial,  and  that  court-martial  will  form  the  sub- 
ject of  my  next  communication. 

':  Yours  respectfully, 

"  J.  W.  Smith, 
"  Late  Cadet  IT.  S.  M.  A." 

THE    INJUSTICE   AT   WEST   POINT. 

"  Columbia,  S.  C,  August  7,  1874. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  New  National  Era  : 

"  Sir  :  In  my  last  communication  I  related  the  circumstances  of 
the  '  dipper  fight,'  and  now  we  come  to  the  court-martial  which  re- 
sulted therefrom. 

' '  But  there  was  another  charge  upon  which  I  was  tried  at  the  same, 
time,  the  circumstances  of  which  I  will  detail. 

"On  the  15th  of  August,  1870,  just  two  days  after  the  'dipper 
fight,'  Cadet  Corporal  JBeacom  made  a  report  against  me  for  '  reply- 
ing in  a  disrespectful  manner  to  a  file-closer  when  spoken  to  at  drill, 
p.m.'  For  this  alleged  offence  I  wrote  an  explanation  denying  the 
charge  ;  but  Cadet  Beacom  found  three  cadets  who  swore  that  they 
heard  me  make  a  disrespectful  reply  in  ranks  when  Cadet  Bea- 
com, as  a  file-closer  on  duty,  spoke  to  me,  and  the  Commandant  of 
Cadets,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Upton,  preferred  charges  against  me  for 
making  false  statements. 

"  The  court  to  try  me  sat  in  September,  with  General  O.  O.  How- 
ard as  President.  I  plead  '  not  guilty  '  to  the  charge  of  assault  on 
Cadet  Wilson,  and  also  to  the  charge  of  making  false  statements. 

"  The  court  found  both  Cadet  Wilson  and  myself  '  guilty  '  of  as- 
sault, and  sentenced  us  to  be  confined  for  two  or  three  weeks,  with 
some  other  light  punishment  in  the  form  of  '  extra  duty.' 

"  The  finding  of  the  court  was  approved  by  President  Grant  in  the 
13 


294     THE  COLORED  CADET  AT  WEST  TOINT. 

case  of  Cadet  "Wilson,  but  disapproved  in  my  case,  on  the  ground  that 
the  punishment  was  not  severe  enough.  Therefore,  Cadet  W. 
served  his  punishment  and  I  did  not  serve  mine,  as  there  was  no  au- 
thority vested  in  the  President  to  increase  it. 

"  On  the  second  charge  I  was  acquitted,  for  I  proved,  by  means  of 
the  order  book  of  the  Academy  that  there  was  no  company  drill  on 
that  day — the  15th  of  August — that  there  was  skirmish  drill,  and  by 
the  guard  reports  of  the  same  date,  that  Cadet  Beacom  and  two  of  his 
three  witnesses  were  on  guard  that  day,  and  could  not  have  been  at 
drill,  even  if  there  had  been  one.  To  some  it  might  appear  that  the 
slight  inconsistencies  existing  between  the  sworn  testimony  of  those 
cadets  and  the  official  record  of  the  Academy,  savored  somewhat  of 
perjury,  but  they  succeeded  in  explaining  the  matter  by  saying  that 
'  Cadet  Beacom  only  made  a  mistake  in  date.'  Of  course  he  did  ;  how 
could  it  be  otherwise  ?  It  was  necessary  to  explain  it  in  some  way  so 
that  I  might  be  proved  a  liar  to  the  corps  of  cadets,  even  if  they 
failed  to  accomplish  that  object  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  court. 

"  I  was  released  in  November,  after  the  proceedings  and  findings 
of  the  court  had  been  returned  from  Washington,  where  they  had  been 
sent  for  the  approval  of  the  President,  having  been  in  arrest  for  three 
months.  But  I  was  not  destined  to  enjoy  my  liberty  for  any  length  of 
time,  for  on  the  18th  of  December,  same  year,  I  was  in  the  ranks  of 
the  guard,  and  was  stepped  on  two  or  three  times  by  Cadet  Anderson, 
one  of  my  classmates,  who  was  marching  beside  me. 

"  As  I  had  had  some  trouble  with  the  same  cadet  some  time  before, 
on  account  of  the  same  thing,  I  believed  that  he  was  doing  it  intention- 
ally, and  as  it  was  very  annoying,  I  spoke  to  him  about  it,  saying  : 
'  I  wish  you  would  not  tread  on  my  toes.'  He  answered:  'Keep 
your  d — d  toes  out  of  the  way. '  Cadet  Birney,  who  was  standing 
near  by,  then  made  some  invidious  remarks  about  me,  to  which  I  did 
not  condescend  to  reply.  One  of  the  Cadet  Corporals,  Bailey,  re- 
ported me  for  '  inattention  in  ranks,'  and  in  my  written  explanation 
of  the  offence,  I  detailed  the  circumstances,  but  both  Birney  and  An- 
derson denied  them,  and  the  Commandant  of  Cadets  took  their  state- 
ment in  preference  to  mine,  and  preferred  charges  against  me  for 
falsehood. 

"  I  was  court  martialled  in  January,  1871,  Captain  Piper,  Third 
Artillery,  being  President  of  the  court.  By  this  court  I  was  found 
'  guilty,'  as  I  had  no  witnesses,  and  had  nothing  to  expect  from  the 
testimony  of  the  witnesses  for  the  prosecution.  Cadet  Corporal  Bai- 
ley, who  made  the  report,  Cadets  Birney  and  Anderson  were  the 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT  WEST  POINT.  295 

witnesses  who  convicted  me  ;  in  fact  they  were  the  only  witnesses  sum- 
moned to  testify  in  the  case.  The  sentence  of  the  court  was  that  I 
should  be  dismissed,  but  it  was  changed  to  one  year's  suspension,  or, 
since  the  year  was  almost  gone  before  the  finding  of  the  court  was 
returned  from  Washington,  where  it  was  sent  for  the  approval  of 
President  Grant,  I  was  put  back  one  year. 

"  I  had  no  counsel  at  this  trial,  as  I  knew  it  would  be  useless,  con- 
sidering the  one-sided  condition  of  affairs.  I  was  allowed  to  make 
the  following  written  statement  of  the  affair  to  be  placed  among  the 
records  of  the  proceedings  of  the  court  : 

"  '  May  it  please  the  court  :  I  stand  here  to  day  charged  with  a 
most  disgraceful  act — one  which  not  only  affects  my  character,  but 
will,  if  I  am  found  guilty,  affect  it  during  my  whole  life — and  I  shall 
attempt,  in  as  few  words  as  possible,  to  show  that  I  am  as  innocent 
as  any  person  in  this  room.  I  was  reported  on  the  18th  of  December, 
1870,  for  a  very  trivial  offence.  For  this  offence  I  submitted  an  ex- 
planation to  the  Commandant  of  Cadets.  In  explanation  I  stated  the 
real  cause  of  committing  the  offence  for  which  I  was  reported-  But 
this  cause,  as  stated,  involved  another  cadet,  who,  finding  himself 
charged  with  an  act  for  which  he  was  liable  to  punishment,  denies  all 
knowledge  of  it.  He  tries  to  establish  his  denial  by  giving  evidence 
which  I  shall  attempt  to  prove  absurd.  On  the  morning  of  the  13th 
of  December,  1870,  at  guard-mounting,  after  the  new  guard  had 
marched  past  the  old  guard,  and  the  command  of  "  Twos  left,  halt !" 
had  been  given,  the  new  guard  was  about  two  or  three  yards  to  the 
front  and  right  of  the  old  guard.  Then  the  command  of  "  Left  back- 
ward, dress, ' '  was  given  to  the  new  guard,  ' '  Order  arms,  in  place  rest. ' ' 
I  then  turned  around  to  Cadet  Anderson,  and  said  to  him,  "  I  wish 
you  would  not  tread  on  my  toes. "  This  was  said  in  a  moderate  tone, 
quite  loud  enough  for  him  to  hear.  He  replied,  as  I  understood, 
"  Keep  your  d — d  toes  out  of  the  way."  I  said  nothing  more,  and  he 
said  nothing  more.  I  then  heard  Cadet  Birney  say  to  another  cadet 
— I  don't  know  who  it  was— standing  by  his  side,  "  It  (or  the  thing) 
is  speaking  to  Mr.  Anderson.  If  he  were  to  speak  to  me  I  would 
knock  him  down."  I  heard  him  distinctly,  but  as  I  knew  that  he 
was  interfering  in  an  affair  that  did  not  concern  him,  I  took  no  fur- 
ther notice  of  him,  but  turned  around  to  my  original  position  in  the 
ranks.  What  was  said  subsequently  I  do  not  know,  for  I  paid  no 
further  attention  to  either  party.  I  heard  nothing  said  at  any  time 
about  taking  my  eyes  away,  or  of  Cadet  Anderson  compromising  his 
dignity.     Having  thus  reviewed  the  circumstances  which  gave  rise  to 


296  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

the  charge,  may  it  please  the  court,  I  wish  to  say  a  word,  as  to  the  wit- 
nesses. Each  of  these  cadets  testifies  to  the  fact  that  they  have  dis- 
cussed the  case  in  every  particular,  both  with  each  other  and  with 
other  cadets.  That  is,  they  have  found  out  each  other's  views  and 
feelings  in  respect  to  it,  compared  the  evidence  which  each  should 
give,  the  probable  result  of  the  trial ;  and  one  has  even  testified  that 
he  has  expressed  a  desire  as  to  the  result.  Think  you  that  Cadet 
Birney,  with  such  a  desire  in  his  breast,  influencing  his  every  thought 
and  word,  with  such  an  end  in  view,  could  give  evidence  unbiassed, 
unprejudiced,  and  free  from  that  desire  that  "  Cadet  Smith  might  be 
sent  away  and  proved  a  liar?"  Think  you  that  he  could  give  evi- 
dence which  should  be  "  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but 
the  truth,  so  help  me  God  ?"  It  seems  impossible  for  me  to  have  jus- 
tice done  me  by  the  evidence  of  such  witnesses,  but  I  will  leave  that 
for  the  court  to  decide.  There  is  another  question  here  which  must 
be  answered  by  the  finding  of  the  court.  It  is  this  :  "Shall  Cadet 
Smith  be  allowed  to  complain  to  the  Commandant  of  Cadets  when  he 
considers  himself  unjustly  dealt  with  ?"  "When  the  court  takes  notice 
of  the  fact  that  this  charge  and  these  specifications  are  the  result  of  a 
complaint  made  by  me,  it  will  agree  with  me  as  to  the  importance  its 
findings  will  have  in  answering  that  question.  As  to  what  the  finding 
will  be,  I  can  say  nothing  ;  but  if  the  court  is  convinced  that  I  have 
lied,  then  I  shall  expect  a  finding  and  sentence  in  accordance  with 
such  conviction.  A  lie  is  as  disgraceful  to  one  man  as  another,  be  he 
white  or  black,  and  I  say  here,  as  I  said  to  the  Commandant  of  Cadets, 
"  If  I  were  guilty  of  falsehood,  I  should  merit  and  expect  the  same 
punishment  as  any  other  cadet ;"  but,  as  I  said  before,  I  am  as  inno- 
cent of  this  charge  as  any  person  in  this  room.  The  verdict  of  an  in- 
fallible judge — conscience — is,  "  Not  guilty,"  and  that  is  the  finding 
I  ask  of  this  court. 

' '  '  Respectfully  submitted. 

(Signed)  "  'J.  W.  Smith, 

'"  Cadet  U.  8.  M.  A.' 


"  Thus  ended  my  second  and  last  court-martial. 
"  Yours  respectfully, 

"J.  W.   S-MITII. 
"  Late  Cadet  V.  S.  M.  A. 


THE    COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT.  297 

THE   HONOB   OF   A   CADET  AND   GENTLEMAN. 

"Columbia,  S.  O,  August  13,  1874. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Neio  National  Era  : 

"  Sir  :  In  relating  the  events  of  my  first  year  at  "West  Point,  I  omit- 
ted one  little  affair  which  took  place,  and  I  will  now  relate  the  circum- 
stances. One  Sunday,  at  dinner,  I  helped  myself  to  some  soup,  and 
one  cadet,  Clark,  of  Kentucky,  who  sat  opposite  me  at  table,  asked 
me  what  I  meant  by  taking  soup  before  he  had  done  so.  I  told  him 
that  I  took  it  because  I  wished  it,  and  that  there  was  a  plenty  left. 
He  seemed  to  be  insulted  at  that,  and  asked  :  '  Do  you  think  I  would 
eat  after  a  d — d  nigger  ?  '  I  replied  :  '  I  have  not  thought  at  all  on 
the  subject,  and,  moreover,  I  don't  quite  understand  you,  as  I  can't 
find  that  last  word  in  the  dictionary. '  He  then  took  up  a  glass  and 
said  he  would  knock  my  head  off.  I  told  him  to  throw  as  soon  as  he 
pleased,  and  as  soon  as  he  got  through  I  would  throw  mine.  The 
commandant  of  the  table  here  interfered  and  ordered  us  to  stop  creat- 
ing a  disturbance  at  the  table,  and  gave  me  to  understand  that  there- 
after 1  should  not  touch  any  thing  on  that  table  until  the  white  cadets  were 
served. 

"  When  we  came  back  from  dinner,  as  I  was  going  into  my  room, 
Cadet  Clark  struck  at  me  from  behind.  He  hit  me  on  the  back  of 
my  neck,  causing  me  to  get  into  my  room  with  a  little  more  haste 
than  I  anticipated,  but  he  did  not  knock  me  down.  He  came  into  my 
room,  following  up  his  advantage,  and  attempted  to  take  me  by  the 
throat,  but  he  only  succeeded  in  scratching  me  a  little  with  his  nails, 
as  I  defended  myself  as  well  as  possible  until  I  succeeded  in  getting 
near  my  bayonet,  which  I  snatched  from  the  scabbard  and  then  tried 
to  put  it  through  him.  But  being  much  larger  and  stronger  than  I, 
he  kept  me  off  until  he  got  to  the  door,  but  then  he  couldn't  get  out, 
for  some  one  teas  holding  the  door  on  the  outside,  for  the  purpose,  I  sup- 
pose, of  preventing  my  escape,  as  no  doubt  they  thought  I  would  try 
to  get  out.  There  were  a  great  many  cadets  outside  on  the  stoop, 
looking  through  the  window,  and  cheering  their  champion,  with  cries 
of  '  That's  right,  Clark  ;  kill  the  d — d  nigger,'  '  Choke  him,'  '  Put  a 
head  on  him,'  etc.,  but  when  they  saw  him  giving  way  before  the 
bayonet,  they  cried,  '  Open  the  door,  boys,'  and  the  door  was  opened, 
and  Mr.  Clark  went  forth  to  rejoice  in  the  bosom  of  his  friends  as 
the  hero  of  the  day.  The  cadet  officer  of  the  day  '  happened 
around  '  just  after  Clark  had  left,  and  wanted  to  know  what  did  I 
mean  by  making  all  that  noise  in  and  around  my  quarters.     I  told 


298  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT. 

liirn  what  the  trouble  was  about,  and  soon  after  I  was  sent  for  by  the 
'officer  in  charge,'  and  questioned  in  reference  to  the  affair. 
Charges  were  preferred  against  Clark  for  entering  my  room  and  as- 
saulting me,  but  before  they  were  brought  to  trial  he  sent  two  of  his 
friends  to  me  asking  if  I  would  withdraw  the  charges  providing  he 
made  a  written  apology.  I  told  these  cadets  that  I  would  think  of 
the  matter  and  give  them  a  definite  answer  the  next  evening. 

' '  I  was  perfectly  well  satisfied  that  he  would  be  convicted  by  any 
court  that  tried  him  ;  but  the  cadets  could  easily  prove  (according  to 
their  way  of  giving  evidence)  that  I  provoked  the  assault,  and  I,  be- 
sides, was  utterly  disgusted  with  so  much  wrangling,  so  when  the 
cadets  called  that  evening  I  told  them  that  if  his  written  apology  was 
satisfactory  I  would  sign  it,  submit  it  to  the  approval  of  the  Com- 
mandant of  Cadets,  and  have  the  charges  withdrawn. 
f1  "  They  then  showed  me  the  written  apology  offered  by  Clark,  in 
which  he  stated  that  his  offence  was  caused  by  passion,  because  he 
thought  that  when  I  passed  him  on  the  steps  in  going  to  my  room  I 
tried  to  brush  against  him.  He  also  expressed  his  regret  for  what  he 
had  done,  and  asked  forgiveness.  I  was  satisfied  with  his  apology, 
and  signed  it,  asking  that  the  charges  be  withdrawn,  which  was 
done,  of  course,  and  Clark  was  released  from  arrest.  I  will,  in  justice 
to  Cadet  Clark,  state  that  I  never  had  any  further  trouble  with  him, 
for,  while  he  kept  aloof  from  me,  as  the  other  cadets  did,  he  alway 
thereafter  acted  perfectly  fair  by  me  whenever  I  had  any  official  rela- 
tions with  him. 

"  A  few  days  after  the  settlement  of  our  dispute  I  found,  on  my  re- 
turn from  fencing  one  day,  that  some  one  had  entered  my  room  and 
had  thrown  all  my  clothes  and  other  property  around  the  floor,  and 
had  thrown  the  water  out  of  my  water-pail  upon  my  bed.  I  immedi- 
ately went  to  the  guard-house  and  reported  the  affair  to  the  officer  of 
the  day,  who,  with  the  '  officer  in  charge,'  came  to  my  room  to  see 
what  had  been  done.  The  officer  of  the  day  said  that  he  had  inspect- 
ed my  quarters  soon  after  I  went  to  the  Fencing  Academy  and  found 
everything  in  order,  and  that  it  must  have  been  done  within  a  half 
hour.  The  Commandant  of  the  Cadets  made  an  investigation  of  the 
matter,  but  could  not  find  out  what  young  '  gentleman  '  did  it,  for 
every  cadet  stated  that  he  knew  nothing  of  it,  although  the  corps  of 
cadets  has  the  reputation  of  being  a  truthful  set  of  young  men. 

"  '  Upon  my  honor  as  a  cadet  and  a  gentleman,'  "  is  a  favorite  ex- 
pression with  the  West  Point  cadet ;  but  what  kind  of  honor  is  that  by 
which  a  young  man  can  quiet  his  conscience  while  telling  a  base  false- 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  299 

hood  for  the  purpose  of  shielding  a  fellow-student  from  punishmen 
for  a  disgraceful  act  ?  They  boast  of  the  esprit  de  corps  existing 
among  the  cadets  ;  but  it  is  merely  a  cloak  for  the  purpose  of  cover- 
ing up  their  iniquities  and  silencing  those  (for  there  are  some)  who 
would,  if  allowed  to  act  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  con- 
sciences, be  above  such  disgraceful  acts.  Some  persons  might  attri- 
bute to  me  the  same  motives  that  actuated  the  fox  in  crying  '  sour 
grapes, '  and  to  such  I  will  say  that  I  never  asked  for  social  equality 
at  West  Point.  I  never  visited  the  quarters  of  any  professor,  official, 
or  cadet  except  on  duty,  for  I  did  not  wish  any  one  to  think  that  I 
was  in  any  way  desirous  of  social  recognition  by  those  who  felt  them- 
selves superior  to  me  on  account  of  color.  As  I  was  never  recognized 
as  '  a  cadet  and  a  gentleman,'  I  could  not  enjoy  that  blessed  privi- 
lege of  swearing  '  upon  my  honor, '  boasting  of  my  share  in  the 
esprit  de  corps,  nor  of  concealing  my  sins  by  taking  advantage  of 
them.  Still,  I  hope  that  what  I  lost  (?)  by  being  deprived  of  these 
little  benefits  will  be  compensated  for  the  'still  small  voice,'  which 
tells  me  that  I  have  done  my  best. 

"  Yours  respectfully, 

"J.  W.  Smith, 
"Late  Cadet  IT.  S.  M.  A." 


"  Columbia,  S.  C,  August  19,  1874. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  JSkw  National  Era  : 

"  Sir  :  My  communications,  thus  far,  have  brought  me  to  the  end 
of  my  first  year  at  the  Academy,  and  now  we  come  to  the  events  of 
the  second.  In  June  of  1871,  the  proverbial  silver  lining,  which  the 
darkest  cloud  is  said  to  have,  began  to  shine  very  faintly  in  the  West 
Point  firmament,  and  I  thought  that  at  last  the  darkness  of  my  cadet 
life  was  to  be  dispelled  by  the  appearance  above  the  horizon  of  an- 
other colored  cadet.  And,  indeed,  I  was  not  disappointed,  for,  one 
day,  I  was  greeted  by  the  familiar  face  and  voice  of  Mr.  H.  A.  Na- 
pier, a  former  fellow-student  at  Howard  University.  Soon  after  his 
arrival,  and  admittance,  the  corps  "of  cadets,  accompanied  by  the 
'plebes,'  took  up  quarters  in  camp — '  plebe  camp'  to  the  latter, 
and  '  yearling  camp  '  to  us  who  had  entered  the  previous  year. 

"During  the  cadet  encampment  there  are  certain  dances  given 
three  times  each  week,  known  as  '  Cadet  Hops. '  These  '  hops  ' 
are  attended  by  the  members  of  the  first  and  third  classes,  and  their 
lady  friends,  and  no  '  plebe  '  ever  has  the  assurance  of  dreaming  of 


300  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

attending  the  '  hops '  until  he  shall  have  risen  to  the  dignity  of  a 
'yearling' — third-classman.  So  long  as  I  was  a  'plebe,'  no  one 
anticipated  any  such  dire  calamity  as  that  I  would  attend  the  '  hops, ' 
but  as  soon  as  I  became  a  '  yearling,'  and  had  a  perfect  right  to  go, 
if  I  wished,  there  was  a  great  hue  and  cry  raised  that  the  sanctity  of 
the  '  hop  '  room  was  to  be  violated  by  the  colored  cadet. 

"  Meetings  were  held  by  the  different  classes,  and  resolutions  pass- 
ed to  the  effect  that  as  soon  as  the  colored  cadet  entered  the  '  hop  ' 
room,  the  '  hop '  managers  were  to  declare  the  '  hop '  ended,  and 
dismiss  the  musicians.  But  the  '  hops  '  went  on  undisturbed  by  the 
presence  of  the  colored  cadet  for  two  or  three  weeks,  and  all  began  to 
get  quiet  again,  when  one  day  my  brother  and  sister,  with  a  couple 
of  lady  friends  whom  they  had  come  to  visit,  came  to  camp  to  see 
me. 

"  This  started  afresh  the  old  report  about  the  '  hops,'  and  every  one 
was  on  the  qui  vide  to  get  a  glimpse  of  '  nigger  Jim  and  the  nigger 
wenches  who  are  going  to  the  hops, '  as  was  remarked  by  a  cadet 
who  went  up  from  the  guard  tent  to  spread  the  alarm  through  camp. 

"  In  a  few  minutes  thereafter  the  '  gentlemen  '  had  all  taken  posi- 
tion at  the  end  of  the  '  company  street, '  and,  with  their  opera-glasses, 
were  taking  observations  upon  those  who,  as  they  thought,  had  come 
to  desecrate  the  '  hop  '  room.  I  was  on  guard  that  day,  but  not  be- 
ing on  post  at  that  time,  I  was  sitting  in  rear  of  the  guard  tents  with 
my  friends — that  place  being  provided  with  camp-stools  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  visitors — when  a  cadet  corporal,  Tyler,  of  Kentucky, 
came  and  ordered  me  to  go  and  fasten  down  the  corner  of  the  first 
guard  tent,  which  stood  a  few  paces  from  where  we  were  sitting. 

"  I  went  to  do  so,  when  he  came  there  also,  and  immediately  began 
to  rail  at  me  for  being  so  slow,  saying  he  wished  me  to  know  that 
when  he  ordered  me  to  do  anything,  I  must  '  step  out '  about  it,  and 
not  try  to  shirk  it.  I  said  nothing,  but  fastened  down  the  corner  of 
the  tent,  and  went  back  to  where  my  friends  were. 

"  In  a  few  minutes  afterwards  he  came  back,  and  wanted  to  know 
why  I  hadn't  fastened  down  that  tent  wall.     I  told  him  that  I  had. 

"  He  said  it  was  not  fastened  then,  and  that  he  did  not  wish  any 
prevarication  on  my  part. 

"  I  then  told  him  that  he  had  no  authority  to  charge  me  with  pre- 
varication, and  that  if  he  believed  that  I  had  not  fastened  down  the 
tent  wall,  the  only  thing  he  could  do  was  to  report  me.  I  went  back 
to  the  tent  and  found  that  either  Cadet  Tyler  or  some  other  cadet  had 
unfastened  the  tent  wall,  so  I  fastened  it  down  again.     Nothing  now 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  301 

was  said  to  me  by  Cadet  Tyler,  and  I  went  back  to  where  my  friends 
were  ;  but  we  bad  been  sitting  there  only  about  a  half  hour,  when  a 
private  soldier  came  to  us  and  said,  '  It  is  near  time  for  parade,  and 
you  will  have  to  go  away  from  here. '  I  never  was  more  surprised 
in  my  life,  and  I  asked  the  soldier  what  he  meant,  for  I  surely  thought 
he  was  either  drunk  or  crazy,  but  he  said  that  the  superintendent  had 
given  him  orders  to  allow  no  colored  persons  near  the  visitors'  seats 
during  parade. 

"  I  asked  him  if  he  recognized  me  as  a  cadet.  He  said  he  did.  I 
then  told  him  that  those  were  my  friends  ;  that  I  had  invited  them 
there  to  see  the  parade,  and  that  they  were  going  to  stay.  He  said  he 
had  nothing  to  do  with  me,  of  course,  but  that  he  had  to  obey  the  or- 
ders of  the  superintendent.  I  then  Avent  to  the  officer  of  the  guard, 
who  was  standing  near  by,  and  stated  the  circumstances  to  him,  re- 
questing him  to  protect  us  from  such  insults.  He  spoke  to  the  sol- 
dier, saying  that  he  had  best  not  try  to  enforce  that  order,  as  the  or- 
der was  intended  to  apply  to  servants,  and  then  the  soldier  went  off 
and  left  us. 

"  Soon  after  that  the  drum  sounded  for  parade,  and  I  was  compelled 
to  leave  my  friends  for  the  purpose  of  falling  in  ranks,  but  promising 
to  return  as  soon  as  the  parade  was  over,  little  thinking  that  I  should 
not  be  able  to  redeem  that  promise  ;  but  such  was  the  case,  as  I  shall 
now  proceed  to  show. 

"Just  as  the  companies  were  marching  off  the  parade  ground,  and 
before  the  guard  was  dismissed,  the  'officer  in  charge,'  Lieutenant 
Charles  King,  Fifth  Cavalry,  came  to  the  guard  tent  and  ordered  me 
to  step  out  of  ranks  three  paces  to  the  front,  which  I  did. 

"  He  then  ordered  me  to  take  off  my  accoutrements  and  place  them 
with  my  musket  on  the  gun  rack.  That  being  done,  he  ordered  me 
to  take  my  place  in  the  centre  of  the  guard  as  a  prisoner,  and  there  I 
stood  until  the  ranks  were  broken,  when  I  was  put  in  the  guard  tent. 
Of  course  my  friends  felt  very  bad  about  it,  as  they  thought  that  they 
were  the  cause  of  it,  while  I  could  not  speak  a  word  to  them,  as  they 
went  away  ;  and  even  if  I  could  have  spoken  to  them,  I  could  not 
have  explained  the  matter,  for  I  did  not  know  myself  why  I  had 
been  put  there — at  least  I  did  not  know  what  charge  had  been  trump- 
ed up  against  me,  though  I  knew  well  enough  that  I  had  been  put 
there  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  me  from  the  'hop,'  as  they  ex- 
pected I  would  go.  The  next  morning  I  was  put  '  in  arrest  '  for 
'  disobedience  of  orders  in  not  fastening  down  tent  wall  when  or- 
dered,'   and  'replying  in  a  disrespectful    manner  to  a  cadet  cor- 


302  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

poral,'  etc.  ;  and  thus  the  simplest  thing  was  magnified  into  a  very 
serious  offence,  for  the  purpose  of  satisfying  the  desires  of  a  few  nar- 
row-minded cadets.  That  an  officer  of  the  United  States  Army  would 
allow  his  prejudices  to  carry  him  so  far  as  to  act  in  that  way  to  a  sub- 
ordinate, without  giving  him  a  chance  to  speak  a  word  in  his  defence 
— nay,  without  allowing  him  to  know  what  charge  had  been  made 
against  him,  and  that  he  should  be  upheld  in  such  action  by  the 
'powers  that  be,'  are  sufficient  proof  to  my  mind  of  the  feelings 
■which  the  officers  themselves  maintained  towards  us.  While  I  was 
in  ranks,  during  parade,  and  my  friends  were  quietly  sitting  down 
looking  at  the  parade,  another  model  '  officer  and  gentleman,'  Cap- 
tain Alexander  Piper,  Third  Artillery — he  was  president  of  my  sec- 
ond court-martial — came  up,  in  company  with  a  lady,  and  ordered 
my  brother  and  sister  to  get  up  and  let  him  have  their  camp-stools, 
and  he  actually  took  away  the  camp-stools  and  left  them  standing, 
while  a  different  kind  of  a  gentleman — an  '  obscure  citizen,'  with 
no  aristocratic  West  Point  dignity  to  boast  of — kindly  tendered  his 
camp-stool  to  my  sister. 

' '  I  only  wish  I  knew  the  name  of  that  gentleman  ;  but  I  could  not 
see  him  then,  or  I  should  certainly  have  found  it  out,  though  in  an- 
swer to  my  brother's  question  as  to  his  name,  he  simply  replied,  '  I 
am  an  obscure  citizen. '  What  a  commentary  on  our  '  obscure  citi- 
zens,' who  know  what  it  is  to  be  gentlemen  in  something  else  besides 
the  name — gentlemen  in  practice,  not  only  in  theory — and  who  can 
say  with  Burns  that  '  a  man's  a  man  for  a'  that,'  whether  his  face 
be  as  black  as  midnight  or  as  white  as  the  driven  snow. 

' '  There  is  something  in  such  a  man  which  elevates  him  above  many 
others  who,  having  nothing  else  to  boast  of,  can  only  say,  '  I  am  a 
white  man,  and  am  therefore  your  superior,'  or  '  I  am  a  West  Point 
graduate,  and  therefore  an  officer  and  a  gentleman. ' 

"  After  the  usual  '  investigation  '  by  the  Commandant  of  Cadets,  I 
was  sentenced  to  be  confined  to  the  '  company  street '  until  the  15th 
of  August,  about  five  weeks,  so  that  I  could  not  get  out  to  see  my 
brother  and  sister  after  that,  except  when  I  was  at  drill,  and  then  I 
could  not  speak  to  them.  I  tried  to  get  permission  to  see  them  in  the 
'  Visitors'  Tent  '  the  day  before  they  left  the  '  Point  '  on  their  re- 
turn home,  but  my  permit  was  not  granted,  and  they  left  without 
having  the  privilege  of  saying  '  Good-by. ' 

"  I  must  say  a  word  in  reference  to  the  commandant's  method  of 
making  'investigations.'  After  sending  for  Cadet  Corporal  Tyler 
and  other  white  cadets,  and  hearing  their  side  of  the  story  in  refer- 


THE    COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  303 

once  to  the  tent  wall  and  the  disrespectful  reply,  he  sent  for  me  to 
hear  what  I  had  to  say,  and  after  I  had  given  my  version  of  the 
affair,  he  told  me  that  I  must  surely  be  mistaken,  as  my  statement  did 
not  coincide  with  those  of  the  other  cadets,  who  were  unanimous  in 
saying  that  I  used  not  only  disrespectful,  but  also  profane  language 
while  addressing  the  cadet  corporal.  I  told  him  that  new  Cadet 
Napier  and  my  brother  were  both  there  and  heard  the  conversation, 
and  they  would  substantiate  my  statement  if  allowed  to  testify.  He 
said  he  was  convinced  that  I  was  in  the  wrong,  and  he  did  not  send 
for  either  of  them.  What  sort  of  justice  is  that  which  can  be  meted 
out  to  one  without  allowing  him  to  defend  himself,  and  even  denying 
him  the  privilege  of  calling  his  evidence  ?  What  a  model  Chief  Jus- 
tice the  Commandant  of  Cadets  would  make,  since  he  can  decide 
upon  the  merits  of  the  case  as  soon  as  he  has  heard  one  side.  Surely 
he  has  missed  his  calling  by  entering  the  army,  or  else  the  American 
people  cannot  appreciate  true  ability,  for  that  '  officer  and  gentle- 
man '  ought  now  to  be  wearing  the  judicial  robe  so  lately  laid  down 
by  the  lamented  Chase. 

"  In  reply  to  my  complaint  about  the  actions  of  the  soldier  in  order- 
ing my  friends  away  from  the  visitors'  seats,  he  said  that  the  soldier 
had  misunderstood  his  orders,  as  the  superintendent  had  told  him  to 
keep  the  colored  servants  on  the  '  Point '  from  coming  in  front  of 
the  battalion  at  parade,  and  that  it  was  not  meant  |to  apply  to  my 
friends,  who  could  come  there  whenever  they  wished. 

"  It  seems,  though,  very  strange  to  me  that  the  soldier  could  mis- 
understand his  orders,  when  he  saw  me  sitting  there  in  company  with 
them,  for  it  is  one  of  the  regulations  of  the  Academy  which  forbids 
any  cadet  to  associate  with  a  servant,  and  if  I  had  been  seen  doing 
such  a  thing  I  would  have  been  court-martiallcd  for  '  conduct  unbe- 
coming a  cadet  and  a  gentleman." 

"  The  cadets  were,  of  course,  very  much  rejoiced  at  my  being  '  in 
arrest, '  and  after  my  sentence  had  been  published  at  parade,  they  had 
quite  a  jubilee  over  it,  and  boasted  of  '  the  skill  and  tact  which  Cadet 
Tyler  had  shown  in  putting  the  nigger  out  of  the  temptation  of  taking 
those  black  wenches  to  the  hops. '  They  thought,  no  doubt,  that  their 
getting  me  into  trouble  frightened  me  out  of  any  thoughts  I  might 
have  had  of  attendiug  the  '  hops  ;'  but  if  I  had  any  idea  of  going  to  the 
'  hops,'  I  should  have  been  only  more  determined  to  go,  and  should 
have  done  so  as  soon  as  my  term  of  confinement  was  ended  I  have 
never  thought  of  going  to  the  'hops,'  for  it  would  be  very  little 
pleasure  to  go  by  myself,  and  I  should  most  assuredly  not  have  asked 


304;  THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT. 

a  lady  to  subject  herself  to  the  insults  consequent  upon  going  there. 
Besides,  as  I  said  before,  I  did  not  go  to  West  Point  for  the  purpose 
of  advocating  social  equality,  for  there  are  many  cadets  in  the  corps 
"with  whom  I  think  it  no  honor  for  any  one  to  associate,  although  they 
are  among  the  high-toned  aristocrats,  and  will,  no  doubt,  soon  be 
numbered  among  the  '  officers  and  gentlemen  '  of  the  United  States 
Army. 

"  Yours  respectfully, 

"J.  W.  Smith.  " 
"Late  Cadet  U.  S.  31.  A." 


REPLY   TO    THE  "WASHINGTON    CHRONICLE." 

"  Columbia,  S.  C,  August  25,  1874. 
To  the  fiditor  of  the  New  National  Era  : 

"  Sir  :  The  following  article  appeared  in  the  Washington  Chronicle 
of  the  14th  inst.,  and  as  I  feel  somewhat  interested  in  the  statements 
therein  contained,  I  desire  to  say  a  few  words  in  reference  to  them. 
The  article  referred  to  reads  as  follows  : 

"  '  The  recent  attack  of  the  colored, ex-Cadet  Smith  upon  the  Board  of  Visitors  at 
West  Point  has  attracted  the  attention  of  the  officers  of  the  War  Department. 
They  say  that  the  Secretary  of  War  was  extremely  liberal  in  his  interpretation  of 
the  regulations  on  behalf  of  Cadet  Smith,  and  that  he  did  for  him  what  had  never 
been  done  for  a  white  boy  in  like  circumstances.  The  officers  also  say  that  Smith 
was  manifestly  incompetent,  that  he  had  a  fair  examination,  and  that  the  Congres- 
sional Board  of„ Visitors  unanimously  testified  to  his  incompetency.' 

"Now,  sir,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  know  what  are  '  the  recent  attacks  of 
the  colored  ex-Cadet  Smith  upon  the  Board  of  Visitors,'  for  I  am 
not  aware  that  I  have  said  any  thing,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  con- 
cerning the  Board  of  Visitors.  My  remarks  thus  far  have  been  con- 
fined to  the  Academic  Board  and  Secretary  of  War. 

"  As  the  members  of  the  Board  of  Visitors  were  sirnply  spectators, 
and  as  they  were  not  present  when  I  was  examined,  I  had  no  reason 
to  make  any  '  attack  '  upon  them,  and,  therefore,  as  I  said  before, 
confined  my  remarks  (or  '  attacks,'  if  that  word  is  more  acceptable 
to  the  Chronicle)  to  those  who  acted  so  unjustly  toward  me. 

"  As  to  the  extreme  liberality  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  in  his  inter- 
pretation of  the  regulations  on  behalf  of  Cadet  Smith,  and  that  he  did 
for  him  what  he  had  never  '  done  for  a  white  boy  in  like  circum- 
stances,' I  hardly  know  what  to  say  ;  for  such  absurd  cant  seems  in- 
tended to  excite  the  laughter  of  all  who  kpow  the  circumstances  of  the 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  305 

case.    What  devoted  servants  those  officers  of  the  War  Department 
must  be,  that  they  can  see  in  their  chief  so  much  liberality  ! 

"But  in  what  respect  was  the  Secretary  of  War  so  '  liberal  in  his 
interpretation  of  the  regulations  ?  ' 

"  Was  it  in  dismissing  me,  and  turning  back  to  a  lower  class  two 
white  cadets  who  had  been  unable  to  complete  successfully  the  first 
year  of  the  course  with  everything  in  their  favor,  while  I  had  com- 
pleted three  years  of  the  same  course  in  spite  of  all  the  opposition 
which  the  whole  corps  of  cadets,  backed  by  the  '  powers  that  be, ' 
could  throw  in  my  way  ?  Or  was  it  his  decision  that  '  I  can  give 
Mr.  Smith  a  re-examination,  but  I  won't  ?  '  The  Chronicle  is  perfectly 
correct  in  saying  '  that  he  did  for  him  what  had  never  been  done  for 
a  white  boy  in  like  circumstances,'  for,  in  the  first  place,  I  don't 
think  there  ever  was  '  a  white  boy  in  like  circumstances,'  certainly 
not  while  I  was  at  the  Academy,  and  if  there  ever  were  a  white  boy 
so  placed,  we  are  pretty  safe  in  concluding,  from  the  general  treat- 
ment of  white  boys,  that  the  secretary  was  not  so  frank  in  his  re- 
marks nor  so  decided  in  his  action. 

"  '  I  want  another  cadet  to  represent  your  district  at  West  Point, 
and  I  have  already  sent  to  Mr.  Elliott  to  appoint  one,'  means  some 
thing  more  than  fair  dealing  (or,  as  the  Chronicle  would  imply,  parti- 
ality) toward  the  colored  cadet.  It  means  that  the  gentleman  was 
pleasing  himself  in  the  choice  of  a  cadet  from  the  Third  Congres- 
sional District  of  South  Carolina,  and  that  he  did  not  recognize  the 
rights  of  the  people  of  that  district  to  choose  for  themselves.  '  You 
are  out  of  the  service  and  will  stay  out,'  for  '  the  Academic  Board 
will  not  recommend  you  to  come  back  under  any  circumstances,' 
shows  that  it  is  the  Academic  Board  that  must  choose  our  representa- 
tive, and  not  we  ourselves,  and  .that  our  wishes  are  only  secondary  in 
comparison  with  those  of  the  service  and  the  Academic  Board.  We 
are  no  longer  free  citizens  of  a  sovereign  State,  and  of  the  United 
States,  with  the  right  to  choose  for  ourselves  those  who  shall  repre- 
sent us  ;  but  we  must  be  subordinate  to  the  Secretary  of  War  and  the 
Academic  Board,  and  must  make  our  wishes  subservient  to  those  of 
the  above-named  powers,  and  unless  we  do  that  we  are  pronounced  to 
be  '  naturally  bad  ' — as  remarked  the  Adjutant  of  the  Academy, 
Captain  R.  II.  Hall,  to  a  Sun  reporter — and  must  have  done  for  us 
'  what  had  never  been  done  for  a  white  boy  in  like  circumstances. ' 
Now,  sir,  let  us  see  what  has '  been  done  for  a  white  boy  in  like  circum- 
stances.' In  July,  1870,  the  President  was  in  Hartford,  Ct.,  and  in 
a  conversation  with  my  friend  the  Hon.  David  Clark,  in  reference  to 


306  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST  POINT. 

ray  treatment  at  West  Point,  he  said  :  '  Don't  take  him  away  now  ; 
the  battle  might  just  as  well  be  fought  now  as  at  any  other  time,' 
and  gave  him  to  understand  that  he  would  see  me  protected  in  my 
rights  ;  while  his  son  Fred,  who  was  then  a  cadet,  said  to  the  same 
gentleman,  and  in  the  presence  of  his  father,  that  '  the  time  had  not 
come  to  send  colored  boys  to  West  Point. '  Mr.  Clark  said  if  the 
time  had  come  for  them  to  be  in  the  United  States  Senate,  it  had 
surely  come  for  them  to  be  at  West  Point,  and  that  he  would  do  all 
in  his  power  to  have  me  protected.  Fred  Grant  then  said  :  '  Well, 
no  d — d  nigger  will  ever  graduate  from  West  Point.'  This  same 
young  gentleman,  with  other  members  of  his  class,  entered  the  rooms 
of  three  cadets,  members  of  the  fourth  class,  on  the  night  of  January 
3,  1871,  took  those  cadets  out,  and  drove  them  away  from  the 
'Point,' with  nothing  on  but  the  light  summer  suits  that  they  wore 
when  they  reported  there  the  previous  summer.  Here  was  a  most 
outrageous  example  of  Lynch  law,  disgraceful  alike  to  the  first 
class,  who  were  the  executors  of  it,  the  corps  of  cadets,  who  were 
the  abettors  of  it,  and  the  authorities  of  the  Academy,  who  were 
afraid  to  punish  the  perpetrators  because  the  President's  son  was  im- 
plicated, or,  at  least,  one  of  the  prime  movers  of  the  affair.  Congress 
took  the  matter  in  hand,  and  instructed  the  Secretary  of  War  to  dis- 
miss all  the  members  of  the  class  who  were  implicated,  but  the  latter 
gentleman  '  was  extremely  liberal  in  his  interpretation  of  the  regula- 
tions,' and  declined  to  be  influenced  by  the  action  of  Congress,  and 
let  the  matter  drop. 

"  Again, when  a  Court  of  Inquiry,  appointed  by  Congress  to  inves- 
tigate complaints  that  I  had  made  of  my  treatment,  reported  in  favor 
of  a  trial  by  court-martial  of  General  Gillmore's  son,  General  Dyer's 
son,  the  nephew  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  and  some  other  lesser 
lights  of  America's  aristocracy,  the  secretary  decided  that  a  repri- 
mand was  sufficient  for  the  offence  ;  yet  '  he  did  for  me  what  had 
never  been  done  for  a  white  boy  in  like  circumstances.'  Now,  sir, 
by  consulting  my  "Register  of  the  Academy,  issued  in  1871, 1  find  that 
three  cadets  of  the  fourth  class  were  declared  '  deficient  '  in  mathe- 
matics—Reid,  Boyle,  and  Walker — and  that  the  first  named  was 
turned  back  to  join  the  next  claps,  while  the  other  two  were  dis- 
missed. Now  Reid  is  the  Secretary's  nephew,  so  that  is  the  reason 
for  his  doing  '  for  him  what  had  never  been  done  for  a  white  boy  in 
like  circumstances.' 

"  Mr.  Editor,  I  have  no  objection  whatever  to  any  favoritism  that 
may  be  shown  'any  member  of. the  Royal  Family,  so  long  as  it  does 


THE    COLORED    CADET   AT   WEST   POINT.  307 

not  infringe  upon  any  right  of  my  race  or  myself  ;  but  when  any 
paper  tries  to  show  that  I  have  received  such  impartial  treatment  at 
the  hands  of  '  the  powers  that  be, '  and  even  go  so  far,  in  their  zeal- 
ous endeavors  to  shield  any  one  from  charges  founded  upon  facts,  as 
to  try  to  make  it  appear  that  I  was  a  favorite,  a  pet  lamb,  or  any 
other  kind  of  a  pet,  at  "West  Point,  I  think  it  my  duty  to  point  out 
any  errors  that  may  accidentally  (?)  creep  into  such  statements. 

"'The  officers  also  say  that  Smith  was  manifestly  incompetent, 
that  he  had  a  fair  examination,'  etc.  What  officers  said  that? 
Those  of  the  War  Department,  whose  attention  was  attracted  by  the 
'  recent  attacks  on  the  Board  of  Visitors,'  or  those  who  decided 
the  case  at  West  Point  ?  In  either  case,  it  is  not  surprising  that  they 
should  say  so,  for  one  party  might  feel  jealous  because  '  the  Secre- 
tary of  War  was  extremely  liberal  in  his  interpretation  of  the  regula- 
tions on  behalf  of  Cadet  Smith,  and  that  he  did  for  him  what  had 
never  been  done  for  a  white  boy  in  like  circumstances,' while  the 
other  party  might  have  been  actuated  by  the  desire  to  prove  that  '  no 
colored  boy  can  ever  graduate  at  West  Point, '  or,  as  the  young  gen- 
tleman previously  referred  to  said,  '  No  d — d  nigger  shall  ever  grad- 
uate at  West  Point.'  As  for  the  unanimous  testimony  of  the  Board  of 
Visitors,  I  can  only  say  that  I  know  not  on  what  ground  such  testi- 
mony is  based,  for,  as  I  said  before,  the  members  of  that  board  were 
not  in  the  library  when  I  was  examined  in  philosophy  ;  but  perhaps, 
this  is  only  one  of  the  '  they  says  '  of  the  officers.  There  are  some 
things  in  this  case  which  are  not  so  manifest  as  my  alleged  incompe- 
tency, and  I  would  like  to  bring  them  to  the  attention  of  the  Chroni- 
cle, and  of  any  others  who  may  feel  interested  in  the  matter.  There 
has  always  been  a  system  of  re-examinations  at  the  Military  Academy 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  a  second  chance  to  those  cadets  who  failed 
at  the  regular  examination.  Tnis  year  the  re-examinations  were 
abolished  ;  but  for  what  reason  ?  It  is  true  that  I  had  never  been  re- 
examined, but  does  it  not  appear  that  the  officers  had  concluded  '  that 
Smith  was  manifestly  incompetent,'  and  that  this  means  was  taken 
to  deprive  me  of  the  benefit  of  a  re-examination  when  they  decided 
that  I  was  '  deficient  ?  '  Or  was  it  done  so  that  the  officers  might 
have  grounds  for  saying  that  '  he  did  for  him  what  had  never  been 
done  for  a  white  boy  in  like  circumstances  ?  '  Again,  the  examina- 
tions used  to  be  public  ;  but  this  year  two  sentinels  were  posted  at 
the  door  of  the  library,  where  the  examinations  were  held,  and  when 
a  visitor  came  he  sent  in  his  card  by  one  of  the  sentinels,  while  the 
other  remained  at  the  door,  and  was  admitted  or  not  at  the  discretion 


308  THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   WEST   POINT. 

of  the  superintendent.  It  is  said  that  this  precaution  was  taken  be- 
cause the  visitors  disturbed  the  members  of  the  Academic  Board  by 
walking  across  the  floor.  Very  good  excuse,  for  tlie  floor  was  covered 
with  a  very  thick  carpet.  We  must  surely  give  the  Academic  Board 
credit  for  so  much  good  judgment  and  foresight,  for  it  would  have 
been  a  very  sad  affair,  indeed,  for  those  gentlemen  to  have  been 
made  so  nervous  (especially  the  Professor  of  Philosophy)  as  to  be  un- 
able to  see  how  '  manifestly  incompetent '  Cadet  Smith  was,  and  it 
wsuld  have  deprived  the  Secretary  of  War  of  the  blissful  consciousness 
that  '  he  did  for  him  what  had  never  been  done  for  a  white  boy  in 
like  circumstances,'  besides  losing  the  privilege  of  handing  down 
to  future  generations  the  record  of  his  extreme  liberality  '  in  his  in- 
terpretation of  the  regulations  on  behalf  of  Cadet  Smith.' 

"  Oh,  that  this  mighty  deed  might  be  inscribed  on  a  lasting  leather 
medal  and  adorn  the  walls  of  the  War  Department,  that  it  might  act 
as  an  incentive  to  some  future  occupant  of  that  lofty  station  !  I  ad- 
vise the  use  of  leather,  because  if  we  used  any  metal  it  might  convey 
to  our  minds  the  idea  of  '  a  sounding  brass  or  a  tinkling  cymbal.' 
"  Respectfully  yours, 

i"  J.  W.  Smith, 
"Late  Cadet  U.  8.  M.  A." 

THE    NEGRO    CADETS. 

"  We  publish  this  morning  an  account  of  Cadet  Smith's  standing- 
at  West  Point,  which  should  be  taken  with  a  few  grains  of  allow- 
ance. The  embryo  colored  soldier  and  all  his  friends—  black,  white 
and  tan — believe  that  the  administrationists  have  used  him  shame- 
fully, especially  in  view  of  their  professions  and  of  the  chief  source 
of  their  political  strength.  Grant  went  into  the  White  House  by 
means  of  colored  votes,  and  his  shabby  treatment  of  the  first  member 
of  the  dusky  army  who  reached  the  point  of  graduation  in  the  coun- 
try's military  school,  is  a  sore  disappointment  to  them. 

"Cadet  Smith  has  been  a  thorn  in  the  side  of  the  Administration 
from  the  start.  He  could  not  be  bullied  out  or  persecuted  out  of  the 
institution  by  the  insults  or  menaces  of  those  who,  for  consistency's 
sake,  should  have  folded  him  to  their  bosoms.  He  stood  his  ground 
bravely,  and  much  against  the  will  of  its  rulers.  West  Point  was 
forced  to  endure  his  unwelcome  presence  up  to  the  time  of  gradua- 
tion. At  that  point  a  crisis  was  reached.  If  the  odious  cadet  were 
allowed  to  graduate,  his  commission  would  entitle  him  to  assignment 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  309 

in  our  much-officered  army,  which  contains  Colonel  Fred  Grant  and  a 
host  of  other  favorites  whose  only  service  has  been  of  the  Captain 
Jinks  order.  The  army  revolted  at  the  idea.  Theoretically  they 
were  and  are  sound  on  the  nigger,  but  they  respectfully  and  firmly 
objected  to  a  practical  illustration.  The  Radical  General  Belknap  was 
easily  convinced  that  the  assignment  of  the  unoffending  Smith  to 
duty  would  cause  a  lack  of  discipline  in  any  regiment  that  would  be 
fearful  to  contemplate. 

"  Something  must  be  clone,  and  that  something  was  quickly  accom- 
plished. They  saved  the  army  and  the  dignity  of  the  horse  marines 
by  sacrificing  the  cadet.  To  do  so,  some  tangible  cause  must  be  al- 
leged, and  a  deficiency  in  '  philosophy '  was  hit  upon. 

"  In  vain  did  Smith  appeal  to  the  Secretary  of  War  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  be  re-examined  ;  in  vain  did  he  ask  permission  to  go  back 
and  join  the  class  below — all  appeals  were  in  vain.  'Gentlemen,' 
says  the  secretary,  '  I  don't  wish  to  tbe  misquoted  as  saying  that  I 
can't  give  Mr.  Smith  a  re-examination,  for  I  say  I  won't  do  it.'  The 
victim  of  the  army  has  since  published  a  three-column  card  in  Fred 
Douglass's  paper,  in  which  he  says  he  was  dropped  for  politico-mili- 
tary reasons,  and  in  the  course  of  which  he  makes  an  almost  unan- 
swerable case  for  himself,  but  the  Radicals  have  dropped  him  in  his 
hour  of  necessity,  and  he  must  submit." 

(From  the  New  York  Sun.) 
CADET    SMITH'S    EXPULSION. 

' '  James  W.  Smith,  the  first  colored  cadet  appointed  to  the  Military 
Academy  of  West  Point,  was  dismissed  after  the  June  examination, 
having  failed  to  pass  an  examination  in  some  other  studies.  Recently 
the  Sun  received  letters  from  South  Carolina  charging  that  the  pre- 
judices of  the  officers  of  the  Academy  led  to  the  dismissal  ;  and  to  as- 
certain the  truth  a  Sun  reporter  went  to  West  Point  to  investigate  the 
matter.     He  accosted  a  soldier  thus  : 

"  '  Were  you  here  before  Smith  was  dismissed  ? ' 

"  '  Yes,  sir  ;  I've  been  here  many  years.' 

"  '  Can  you  tell  me  why  he  was  dismissed  ? ' 

"  'Well,  I  believe  he  didn't  pass  in  philosophy  and  some  other 
studies. ' 

"  '  What  kind  of  a  fellow  was  he  ? ' 

"  '  The  soldiers  thought  well  of  him,  but  the  cadets  didn't.  They 
used  to  laugh  and  poke  fun  at  him  in  Riding  Hall,  and  in  the  artillery 


310  THE    COLORED   CADET    AT   WEST   POINT. 

drill  all  of  them  refused  to  join  hands  with  him  when  the  cannoneers 
were  ordered  to  mount.  This  is  dangerous  once  in  a  while,  for  some- 
times they  mount  when  the  horses  are  on  a  fast  trot.  But  he  used  to 
run  on  as  plucky  as  you  please,  and  always  got  into  his  seat  without 
help.  Some  of  the  officers  used  to  try  to  make  them  carry  out  the 
drill,  but  it  was  no  use.  I  never  saw  one  of  the  young  fellows  give 
him  a  hand  to  make  a  mount.  He  was  a  proud  negro,  and  had  good 
pluck.  I  never  heard  him  complain,  but  his  black  eyes  used  to  flash 
when  he  was  insulted,  and  you  could  see  easy  enough  that  he  was  in 
a  killin'  humor.  But  after  the  first  year  he  kept  his  temper  pretty 
well,  though  he  fought  hard  to  do  it.' 

"  Captain  Robert  II.  Hall,  the  post  adjutant,  said  : '  Young  Smith 
was  a  bad  boy. ' 

NATURALLY  BAD. 

"  '  His  temper  was  hot,  and  his  disposition  not  honorable.  I  can  as- 
sure you  that  the  officers  at  this  post  did  every  thing  in  their  power  to 
help  him  along  in  his  studies,  as  well  as  to  improve  his  standing  with 
his  comrades.  But  his  temper  interfered  with  their  efforts  in  the  lat- 
ter direction,  while  his  dulness  precluded  his  passing  through  the 
course  of  studies  prescribed. 

"  Reporter — '  He  was  always  spoken  of  as  a  very  bright  lad.' 
' '  Captain  Hall — '  He  was  not  bright  or  ready.  He  lacked  compre- 
hension. In  his  first  year  he  was  very  troublesome.  First  came  his 
assault  upon,  or  affray  with,  another  young  gentleman  (Cadet  Wilson), 
but  the  Court  of  Inquiry  deemed  it  inadvisable  to  court-martial  either 
of  them.  Then  he  was  insolent  to  his  superior  on  drill,  and  being 
called  upon  for  an  explanation  he  wrote  a  deliberate  falsehood.  For 
this  he  was  court-martialled  and  sentenced  to  dismissal,  but  subse- 
quently the  findings  of  the  committee  were  reversed,  and  Cadet  Smith 
was  put  back  one  year.  This  fact  accounts  for  his  good  standing  on 
the  examination  next  before  the  last.  You  see  he  went  over  the  same 
studies  twice. ' 

"  Reporter — '  What  was  Cadet  Smith  found  deficient  in?  ' 
"  Captain  Hall — '  His  worst  failure  was  in  natural  and  experi- 
mental philosophy,  which  embraces  the  higher  mathematics,  dynamics, 
optics,  mechanics,  and  other  studies.  He  missed  a  very  simple  ques- 
tion in  optics,  and  the  examiners,  who  were  extremely  lenient  with 
him,  chiefly,  I  believe,  because  he  was  colored  and  not  white,  tried 
him  with  another,  which  was  also  missed.' 

"  Reporter — '  Is  optical  science  deemed  an  absolutely  essential 
branch  of  learning  for  an  officer  in  the  army  ?  ' 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT  WEST  POINT.  311 

DEFICIENT  IN  niS   STUDIES. 

"  Captain  Hall — '  It  is  useful  to  engineers,  for  instance.  But  that 
is  not  the  question.  In  most  educational  institutions  of  the  grade  of 
West  Point,  the  [standing  of  a  student  in  his  studies  is  decided  by  a 
general  average  of  all  studies  in  which  he  is  examined.  Here  each 
branch  is  considered  separately,  and  if  the  cadet  fails  in  any  one  he 
cannot  pass.  I  will  assure  you  once  more  that  in  my  opinion  Cadet 
Smith  received  as  fair  an  examination  as  was  ever  given  to  any  stu- 
dent.    If  anything,  he  was  a  little  more  favored.' 

"  Reporter — '  What  was  his  conduct  in  the  last  year  of  his  stay 
at  the  Academy  ?  ' 

"  Captain  Hall — '  Good.  He  ranked  twenty  in  a  class  of  forty 
in  discipline.  Discipline  is  decided  by  the  number  of  marks  a 
cadet  receives  in  the  term.  If  he  goes  beyond  a  certain  number  he 
is  expelled.' 

"  Reporter — '  This  record  seems  hardly  consistent  with  his  pre- 
vious turbulent  career. ' 

"  Captain  Hall — '  Oh  !  in  the  last  years  of  his  service  he 
learned  to  control  his  temper,  but  he  never  seemed  happy  unless  in 
some  trouble. ' 

"  Reporter — '  Have  you  any  more  colored  cadets  ?  ' 

"  Captain  Hall — '  Only  one— Henry  O.  Flipper,  of  Georgia.  Tic 
is  a  well-built  lad,  a  mulatto,  and  is  bright,  intelligent,  and  studious.' 

"  Reporter — '  Do  the  cadets  dislike  him  as  much  as  they  did 
Smith  ? ' 

"  Captaln  Hall — '  No,  sir,  I  am  told  that  he  is  more  popular.  I 
have  heard  of  no  doubt  he  will  get  through  all  right.  And  here  I 
will  say,  that  had  Mr.  Smith  been  white  he  would  not  have  gone  so 
far  as  he  did. ' 

"  Other  officers  of  the  post  concur  with  Captain  Hall,  but  the  en- 
listed men  seem  to  sympathize  with  Smith.  One  of  them  said,  '  I 
don't  believe  the  officers  will  ever  let  a  negro  get  through.  They 
don't  want  them  in  the  army.' 

"  Cadet  Smith's  career  for  the  three  years  of  his  service  was  indeed 
a  most  unhappy  one,  but  whether  that  unhappiness  arose  from 

THE  INFIRMITIES  OF  TEMPER 

or  from  the  persistent  persecutions  of  his  comrades  cannot  be  au- 
thoritatively said.  One  officer  attributed  much  of  the  pugnacity 
which  Smith  exhibited  early  in  his  course  to  the  injudicious  letters 
sent  him  by  his  friends.     In  some  of  these  he  was  advised  to  '  light 


312  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

for  the  honor  of  his  race, '  and  others  urged  him  to  brook  no  insult 
at  the  hands  of  the  white  cadets.  The  menial  duties  which  the 
'  plebes  '  are  called  upon  to  do  in  their  first  summer  encampment 
were  looked  upon  by  Smith  as  personal  insults  thrust  upon  him,  al- 
thought  his  comrades  made  no  complaint.  Then  the  social  ostracism 
to  a  lad  of  his  sensitive  nature  was  almost  unbearable,  and  an  occa- 
sional outbreak  is  not  to  be  wondered  at. 

' '  Before  he  had  been  in  the  Academy  a  week  he  wrote  to  a  friend 
complaining  of  the  treatment  he  received  from  his  fellows,  and  this 
letter  being  published  intensified  the  hostility  of  the  other  cadets. 
Soon  after  this  he  had  a  fight  with  Cadet  Wilson  and  cut  his  face 
with  a  dipper.  Then  followed  the  breach  of  discipline  on  drill,  the 
court-martial  and  sentence,  and  finally  the  Congressional  investiga- 
tion, which  did  not  effect  any  good.  Smith  says  that  frequently  on 
squad  drill  he  was  detached  from  the  squad  by  the  cadet  corporal, 
and  told  that  he  was  not  to  stand  side  by  side  with  white  men. 

"  West  Point,  June  19." 

THE    COLORED    CADET. 

niS  TRIALS  AND  PERSECUTIONS — THREE  YEARS  OE  ABUSE — SETTLED 
AT   LAST — "ELI  PERKINS"'    TELLS   TU.E   STORY. 

To  the  Editor  of  tlie  Daily  Graphic  : 

"  About  the  20th  of  May,  1870,  I  saw  the  colored  Cadet,  James 
W.  Smith  land  at  the  West  Point  Dock.  He  was  appointed  by  a 
personal  friend  of  mine,  Judge  Hoge,  Member  of  Congress  from 
Columbia,  South  Carolina.  The  mulatto  boy  was  about  five  feet  eight 
inches  high,  with  olive  complexion  and  freckles.  Being  hungry  he 
tipped  his  hat  to  a  cadet  as  he  jumped  from  the  ferry-boat  and  asked 
him  the  way  to  the  hotel. 

"  '  Over  there,  boy,'  replied  the  cadet,  pointing  to  the  Rose  Hotel 
owned  by  the  government. 

"  On  arriving  there  the  colored  boy  laid  down  his  carpet-bag, 
registered  his  name,  and  asked  for  something  to  eat. 

"  '  What  !    A  meal  of  victuals  for  a  nigger  ? '  asked  the  clerk. 

"  '  Yes,  sir,  I'm  hungrjr  and  I  should  like  to  buy  something  to 
eat.' 

"  '  Well,  you'll  have  to  be  hungry  a  good  while  if  you  wait  to  get 
something  to  eat  here,'  and  the  clerk  of  the  government  hotel  pushed 
the  colored  boy's  carpet-bag  off  upon  the  floor. 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  313 

"  Jimmy  Smith's  father,  who  fought  with  General  Sherman,  and 
came  back  to  become  an  alderman  in  Columbia,  had  told  the  boy  that 
when  he  got  to  West  Point  among  soldiers  he  would  be  treated  justly, 
and  you  can  imagine  how  the  hungry  boy  felt  when  he  trudged  back 
over  the  hot  campus  to  see  Colonel  Black  and  General  Schriver,  who 
was  then  Superintendent  of  the  Academy. 

"  The  black  boy  came  and  stood  before  the  commandant  and  handed 
him  his  appointment  papers  and  asked  him  to  read  them.  Colonel 
Black,  Colonel  Boynton,  and  other  officers  looked  around  inquiringly. 
Then  they  got  up  to  take  a  good  look  at  the  first  colored  cadet.  The 
colonel,  red  in  the  face,  waved  the  boy  away  with  his  hand,  and,  one 
by  one,  the  officers  departed,  speechless  with  amazement. 

"In  a  few  moments  the  news  spread  through  the  Academy.  The 
white  cadets  seemed  paralyzed. 

"  Several  cadets  threatened  to  resign,  some  advocated  maiming  him 
for  life,  and  a  Democratic  '  pleb  '  from  Illinois  exclaimed,  '  I'd  rather 
die  than  drill  with  the  black  devil.'  But  wiser  counsels  prevailed, 
and  the  cadets  consented  to  tolerate  Jimmy  Smith  and  not  drown  or 
kill  him  for  four  weeks,  when  it  was  thought  the  examiners  would 
'  bilge  'him. 

"On  the  16th  of  June,  1870,  I  saw  Jimmy  Smith  again  at  West 
Point  and  wrote  out  my  experiences.  He  was  the  victim  of  great 
annoyance. 

"At  these  insults  the  colored  cadet  showed  a  suppressed  emotion. 
He  could  not  break  the  ranks  to  chastise  his  assaulter.     Then  if  he 

had  fought  with  every  cadet  who  called  him  a  ' black-hearted 

nigger, '  he  would  have  fought  with  the  whole  Academy.  Not  the 
professors,  for  they  have  been  as  truly  gentlemen  as  they  are  good 
officers.  If  they  had  feelings  against  the  colored  cadet  they  sup- 
pressed them.  I  say  now  that  the  indignities  heaped  upon  Jimmy 
Smith  would  have  been  unbearable  to  any  white  boy  of  spirit.  Hun- 
dreds of  times  a  day  he  was  publicly  called  names  so  mean  that  I 
dare  not  write  them. 

"  Once  I  met  Jimmy  Smith  after  drill.  He  bore  the  insulting  re- 
marks like  a  Christian. 

"  '  I  expected  it,'  he  said  ;  '  but  it  was  not  so  at  the  Hartford 
High  School.  There  I  had  the  second  honors  of  my  class.'  Then 
he  showed  me  a  catalogue  of  the  Hartford  High  School,  and  there 
was  the  name  of  James  W.  Smith  as  he  graduated  with  the  next 
highest  honor. 

"  On  that  occasion  I  asked  Jimmy  who  his  father  was. 


314:  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT  WEST   POINT. 

"  '  His  name  is  Israel  Smith.  He  used  to  belong  to  Sandres  Guig- 
nard,  of  Columbia.' 

"  '  Then  he  was  a  slave  ?  ' 

"  '  Yes,  but  when  Sherman's  army  freed  him  he  became  a  Union 
soldier. ' 

"  '  And  your  mother  ? ' 

"  '  She  is  Catherine  Smith,  born  free.'^  Here  Jimmy  showed  his 
mother's  photograph.  She  looked  like  a  mulatto  woman,  with 
straight  hair  and  regular  features.  She  had  a  serious,  Miss-Siddons- 
looking  face. 

"  '  How  did  you  come"  to  "  the  Point  ?"  '  I  asked. 

"  'Well,  Mr.  David  Clark,  of  Hartford,  promised  to  educate  me, 
and  he  got  Congressman  Hoge  to  appoint  me.' 

"  '  How  came  Mr.  Clark  to  become  interested  in  you  ? ' 

"  '  Well,  a  very  kind  white  lady — Miss  Loomis — came  to  Columbia 
to  teach  the  freedmen.  I  went  to  school  to  her  and  studied  so  hard 
and  learned  so  fast  that  she  told  Mr.  Clark  about  me.  My  father  is 
able  to  support  me,  but  Mr.  Clark  is  a  great  philanthropist  and  he  has 
taken  a  liking  to  me  and  he  is  going  to  stand  by  me.' 

' '  '  What  does  Mr.  Clark  say  when  you  write  about  how  the  cadets 
treat  you  ? ' 

"  The  colored  boy  handed  me  this  letter  from  his  benefactor  : 

".'  Hartford,  Juno  7,  1870. 
'  "  'Dear  Jemmy :  Yours,  1st  inst.,is  at  hand  and.  noted.    I  herewith  inclose 
stamps. 

"  '  Let  them  call  "  nigger"  as  much  as  they  please ;  they  will  laugh  out  of  the 
other  corner  of  their  mouth  before  the  term  is  over. 

"  '  Your  only  way  is  to  maintain  your  dignity.  Go  straight  ahead.  If  any  per- 
sonal insult  is  offered,  resist  it,  and  then  inform  me  ;  I  will  then  see  what  lean  do. 
But  I  think  you  need  have  no  fear  on  that  score.  Have  been  out  to  Windham  a  few 
days.  All  well,  and  send  kind  regards.  Mary  sails  for  Europe  Saturday.  President 
Grant  is  to  be  here  the  2d.  He  will  be  my  guest  or  Governor  Jewell's. 
" '  Yours,  etc., 

,; '  D.  Clark.'  " 

"  '  So  Mr.  Clark  knows  the  President,  does]he  ? ' 

"'Why,  yes;  he  knows  everybody — all  the  great  men.  He's  a 
great  man  himself  ; '  and  this  poor  colored  boy  stood  up,  I  thought, 
the  proudest  champion  David  Clark  ever  had. 

"  '  Yes,  David  Clark  is  a  good  man,'  I  mused,  as  I  saw  the  grate- 
ful tears  standing  in  the  colored  cadet's  eyes. 

"  When  I  got  back  to  the  hotel  I  heard  a  wishy-washy  girl,  who 
came  up  year  after  year  with  a  party  to  flirt  with  the  cadets  say  : 


THE   COLOEED   CADET  AT  WEST  POINT.  315 

"  '  0  clear  !  it  is  hawid  to  have  this  colod  cadet — perfectly  dre'fful. 
I  should  die  to  see  my  George  standing  next  to  him.' 

"But  Miss  Schenck,  the  daughter  of  General  Schenck,  our  Min- 
ister to  the  Court  of  St.  James,  told  Jimmy  Smith  that  she  hoped  he 
would  graduate  at  the  head  of  his  class,  and  when  the  colored  hoy 
told  me  about  it  he  said  : 

"  '  Oh,  sir,  a  splendid  lady  called  to  see  me  to-day.  I  wish  I  knew 
her  name.     I  want  to  tell  David  Clark. ' 

' '  Every  white  boy  at  West  Point  now  agreed  to  cut  the  colored 
boy.  No  one  was  to  say  a  single  word  to  him,  or  even  answer  yes  or 
no.  At  the  same  time  they  would  abuse  him  and  swear  at  him  in 
their  own  conversation  loud  enough  for  him  to  hear.  It  is  a  lament- 
able fact  that  every  white  cadet  at  the  Point  swears]  and  chews  to- 
bacco like  the  army  in  Flanders. 

"  Again  I  saw  Jimmy  Smith  on  the  9th  of  July.  The  officers  of 
the  Academy  had  been  changed.  Old  ■  General  Schriver  had  given 
place  to  young  General  Upton.  The  young  general  is  a  man  of  feel- 
ing and  a  lover  of  justice.  He  sent  for  the  colored  boy,  and  taking 
his  hand  he  said  : 

"  'My  boy,  you  say  you  "want  "to  resign,  that  you  can  stand  this 
persecution  no  longer.  You  must  not  do  it.  You  are  here  an  officer 
of  the  army.  You  have  stood  a  severe  examination.  You  have 
passed  honorably  and  you  shall  not  be  persecuted  into  resigning.  I 
am  your  friend.     Come  to  me  and  you  shall  have  justice.' 

"  Then  General  Upton  addressed  the  cadets  on  dress  parade.  He 
told  them  personaF.  insults  against  their  brother  cadet,  whose  only 
crime  was  color,  must  cease. 

"  One  day  a  cadet  came  to  Jimmy  and  said  he  would  befriend  him 
if  he  dared  to,  '  but  you  know  I  would  be  ostracized  if  I  should 
speak  to  you. ' 

"  '  What  was  the  cadet's  name  ? '  I  asked. 

' '  '  Oh,  I  dare  not  tell  ? '  replied  the  colored  boy.  '  Pie  would  be 
ruined,  too.' 

"  '  Did  your  father  write  to  you  when  you  thought  of  resigning  ? ' 

"  '  Yes  ;  here  is  his  letter,'  replied  the  colored  boy  : 

"  '  Columbia,  S.  C,  July  3,  1870. 
"  '  Mt  Dear  Son  :  I  take  great  pleasure  in  answering  yonr  kind  letter  received 
last  night.  I  pray  God  that  my  letter  may  find  yon  in  a  better  state  of  consolation 
than  when  you  wrote  to  me.  I  told  yon  thatfyou  would  have  trials  and  difficulties  to 
endure.  Do  not  mind  them,  for  they  will  go  likej  chaff  before  the  wind,  and  your 
enemies  will  soon  be  glad  to  gain  your  friendship.    They  do  the  same  to  all  new- 


316  THE    COLORED    CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

comers  in  every  college.  You  are  elevated  to  a  high  position,  and  j'ou  must  stand  it 
like  a  man.  Do  not  let  them  run  you  away,  for  then  they  will  say,  the  "nigger"  won't 
do.  Show  your  spunk,  and  let  them  see  that  yon  will  fight.  That  is  what  you  are 
sent  to  West  Point  for.  When  they  find  you  are'determined  to  stay,  they  will  let 
you  alone.  You  must  not  resign  on  any  account,  for  it  is  just  what  the  Democrats 
want.  They  are  betting  largely  here  that  you  won't  get  in.  The  rebels  say  if  you 
are  admitted,  they  will  devil  you  so  much  that  you  can't  stay.  Be  a  man  ;  don't 
think  of  leaving,  and  let  me  know  all  about  your  troubles.  The  papers  say  you 
have  not  been  received.    Do  write  me  positively  whether  you  are  received  or  not. 

"  '  Times  are  lively  here,  for  everybody  is  preparing  for  the  Fourth  of  July.  There 
are  five  colored  companies  here,  all"  in  uniform,  and  they  are  trying  to  see  who  shall 
excel  in  drill. 

"  '  Stand  your  ground  ;  don't  resign,  and  write  me  soon. 

"  '  From  your  affectionate  father,  "  '  Israel  Smith.'  " 

"  On  the  11th  of  January  I  visited  "West  Point  again.  I  found  all 
the  cadets  still  against  the  colored  boy.  A  system  of  terrorism 
reigned  supreme.  Every  one  who  did  not  take  sides  against  the  col- 
ored boy  was  ostracized. 

"  At  drill  one  morning  Cadet  Anderson  trod  on  the  colored  boy's 

toes.     When  Smith  expostulated  Anderson  replied,  '  Keep  your 

toes  away.  '  When  Smith  told  about  it  Anderson  got  two  other 
white  cadets  to  say  he  never  said  so.  This  brought  the  colored  boy 
in  a  fix. 

"Last  July  I  saw  the  colored  cadet  again.  He  was  still  ostracized. 
No  cadet  ever  spoke  to  him.  He  lived  a  hermit  life,  isolated  and 
alone. 

"  When  I  asked  him  how  he  got  on  with  his  studies  he  said  :  '  As 
well  as  I  am  able,  roaming  all  alone,  with  no  one  to  help  me  and  no 
one  to  clear  up  the  knotty  points.  If  there  is  an  obscure  point  in  my 
lesson  I  must  go  to  the  class  with  it.  I  cannot  go  to  a  brother 
cadet.' 

"  '  If  you  should  ask  them  to  help  you  what  would  they  say  ? ' 

' '  '  They  would  call  me  a nigger,  and  tell  me  to  go  back  to  the 

plantation.' 

"  Yesterday,  after  watching  the  colored  cadet  for  three  years,  I  saw 
him  again.  He  has  grown  tall  and  slender.  He  talks  slowly,  as  if 
he  had  lost  the  use  of  language.  Indeed  many  days  and  weeks  he 
has  gone  without  saying  twenty  lines  a  day  in  a  loud  voice,  and  that 
in  the  recitation-room. 

"When  they  were  examining  him  the  other  day  he  spoke  slowly, 
but  his  answers  were  correct.  His  answers  in  philosophy  were  cor- 
rect. But  they  say  he  answered  slowty,  and  they  will  find  him  defi- 
cient for  that.   Find  him  deficient  for  answering  slowly  when  the  boy 


THE   COLORED   CADET   AT   "WEST   POIXT.  317 

almost  lost  the  use  of  language  !  When  he  knew  four  hundred  eyes 
were  on  him  and  two  hundred  malignant  hearts  all  praying  for  his 
failure  ! 

"  The  colored  cadet  is  now  in  his  third  year.  The  great  question 
at  West  Point  is,  Will  he  pass  his  examination  ?  No  one  will  know  till 
the  30th  of  June.  It  is  my  impression  that  the  young  officers  have 
marked  him  so  low  that  he  will  be  found  deficient.  The  young  offi- 
cers hate  him  almost  as  had  as  the  cadets,  and  whenever  they  could 
make  a  bad  mark  against  him  they  have  done  it. 

"  '  Does  any  one  ever  speak  to  you  now  ? '  I  asked. 

"  'No.  I  dare  not  address  a  cadet.  I  do  not  want  to  provoke 
them.  I  simply  want  to  graduate.  I  am  satisfied  if  they  do  not 
strike  or  harm  me  ;  though  if  I  had  a  kind  word  now  and  then  I 
should  be  happier,  and  I  could  study  better. '  Then  the  colored  boy 
drew  a  long  sigh. 

"  To-day  I  met  General  Howard,  who  was  present  at  the  colored 
cadet's  court-martial.     I  asked  him  to  tell  me  about  it. 

"  'Well,  Mr.  Perkins,'  said  the  General,  '  they  tried  to  make  out 
that  the  colored  boy  lied.' 

"  '  Yes,'  I  interrupted,  '  and  they  all  say  he  did  lie  at  the  Point 
now.     How  was  it  ?  ' 

"  '  It  was  this  way  :  They  accused  him  of  talking  on  parade,  and, 
while  trying  to  convict  him  out  of  his  own  mouth,  they  asked  him 
"If  on  a  certain  day  he  did  "not  speak  to  a  certain  cadet  while  on 
drill  ?"  "I  did  not  speak  to  this  cadet  while  on  drill  the  day  you  men- 
tion," answered  Cadet  Smith,  "  for  the  cadet  was  not  in  the  parade 
that  day."  ' 

"  This  answer  startled  the  prosecutors,  and,  looking  over  the  diary 
of  parade  days,  they  were  astonished  to  find  Cadet  Smith  correct. 

"  '  What  then?  '  I  asked. 

"  '  Why  they  accuse  him  of  telling  a  lie  in  spirit,  though  not  in 
form,  for  he  had  talked  on  a  previous  day.  Just  as  if  he  was  obliged 
to  say  any  thing  to  assist  the  prosecutors  except  to  answer  their  ques- 
tions. ' 

"  General  Howard  believes  Cadet  Smith  to  be  a  good,  honest  boy. 
I  believe  the  same. 

"Eli  Perkins." 

(From  the  Savannah  (Ga.)  Morning  Xews.) 

"  Lieutenant  Flipper  seems  to   have  gone  back  on  his  Atlanta 
friends.  He  came  home  from  West  Point  with  a  good  Academy  record, 
14 


318  THE    COLORED    CADET    AT    WEST    POINT. 

and  behaved  himself  with  becoming  dignity.  The  officers  at  the 
barracks  'treated  him — not  socially,  but  as  an  officer  of  the  army — 
with  due  respect,  as  did  the  citizens  of  Atlanta,  who  felt  that  he  had 
won  credit  by  his  good  conduct  and  success.  But  in  an  evil  hour  the 
colored  friends  (?)  of  Flipper  'gave  him  a  reception,  and  in  full  uni- 
form he  made  them  a  speech.  Now  speech-making  is  a  dangerous 
thing,  and  this  colored  warrior  seems  to  have  been  made  a  victim  of 
it.  He  distorted  the  official  courtesies  of  the  officers  at  the  barracks 
into  social  courtesies,  and  abused  the  white  people  of  the  South  be- 
cause they  did  not  give  him  and  his  race  social  equality.  Not  only 
were  sensible  colored  people  displeased  with  his  remarks,  but  many 
white  citizens  who  went  to  the  meeting  friendly  to  Flipper  left  dis- 
gusted with  his  sentiments."-1" 

(From  the  Savannah  (Get.)  Morning  News.) 
A    COLORED    AR3IY    OFFICER. 

"  Lieutenant  Flipper  is  his  name.  Lie  is  a  living  result  of  the 
policy  of  Radicalism  which  has  declared  from  the  first  its  determina- 
tion that,  under  any  circumstances,  the  American  citizen  of  African 
descent  shall  enjoy  all  the  privileges  of  his  white  brethren.  Carrying 
out  this  determination,  and  not  dismayed  at  the  fate  of  colored  cadet 
Smith,  who  figured  so  largely  in  West  Point  annals  a  few  years  ago, 
cadet  Flipper  was  sent  to  that  institution  to  try  his  hand.     He  has 

*  If  a  man  walks  on  the  streets/with  me,  invites  me  to  his  quarters,  introduces 
me  to  his  comrades,  and  other^like  acts  of  courtesy,  ought  I  to  consider  him  treating 
me  socially  or  officially  ?  I  went  to  the  garrison  in  Atlanta  to  pay  my  respects  to 
the  commanding '"officer.  I  expected  nothing.  I  met  an  officer,  who,  with  four 
others,  had  introduced  himself  to  me  on  the  cars.  My  official  call  had  been  made. 
He  took  me  around,  introduced  me  to  the  officers,  and  showed  me  all  possible  at- 
tention. I  met  another  officer  in  the  city  several  days  after  this.  He  offered  cigars. 
We  walked  up  and  down  the  streets  together.,Many  times  did  we  hear  and  comment 
upon  the  remarks  we  overheard  :  "  Is  he  walking  with  that  nigger  f"  and  the  like. 
He  invited  me  into  a  druggist's  to  take  some  soda-water.  I  went  in  and  got  it,  al- 
though it  was  never  sold  there  before  to  a  person  of  color.  We  rode  out  to  the 
garrison  together,  and  every  attention  was  shown  me  by  all.  Another  officer  told 
me  that  before  I  came  the  officers  of  the  garrison  assembled  to  consider  whether  or 
not  they  should  recognize  me.  The  unanimous  vote  was  "  yes."  Was  all  this  offi- 
cial 1  No.  It  is  the  white  people,  the  disappointed  tyrants  of  Georgia,  who  try  to 
dislort  social  courtesies  in  official  ones. 

The  "many  white"  people  were  some  half-dozen  newspaper  reporters,  whose 
articles  doubtless  were  partly  written  when  they  came.  "  Old  Si"  in  his  spectacles 
was  p'.ominently  conspicuous  among  them. 


THE    COLORED    CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  '  319 

graduated,  aud  now  holds  the  commission  of  Second  Lieutenant  of 
Cavalry  in  the  United  States  Army,  the  first  of  his  race  who  has  ever 
attained  such  a  position. 

"  It  "will  be  curious  to  watch  young  Flipper's  career  as  an  officer. 
Time  was  when  army  officers  were  a  very  aristocratic  and  exclusive 
set  of  gentlemen,  whether  they  still  hold  to  their  old  ideas,  or  not,  we 
do  not  know.  There  seems  to  be  enough  of  the  old  feeling  left, 
however,  to  justify  the  belief  that  until  some  other  descendants  of 
African  parents  graduate  at  the  institution,  Flipper  will  have  a  lonely 
time.  During  his  cadetship,  we  learn  from  no  less  an  authority  than 
the  New  York  Tribune,  'the  paper  founded  by  Horace  Greeley,' 
that  he  was  let  severely  alone  by  his  fellow-students.  According  to 
that  paper,  one  of  the  cadets  said,  '  We  have  no  feeling  against  him, 
but  we  could  not  associate  with  him.  It  may  have  been  prejudice 
but  still  we  couldn't  do  it.'  This  shows  very  clearly  the  animus 
which  will  exist  in  the  army  against  the  colored  officer.  If  at  West 
Point,  where  he  had  to  drill,  recite,  eat,  and  perhaps  sleep  with 
his  white  brothers,  they  couldn't  associate  with  him  (notwithstand- 
ing the  fact  that  the  majority  of  these  whites  were  Northern  men  and 
ardent  advocates  of  Radicalism,  with  its  civil  rights  and  social 
equality  record),  how  can  it  be  expected  that  they  will  overcome 
their  prejudices  any  more  readily  after  they  become  officers.  The 
Tribune  thinks  they  will,  and  that  in  time  the  army  will  not  hesitate 
to  receive  young  Flipper,  and  all  of  his  race  who  may  hereafter  grad- 
uate at  West  Point,  with  open  arms  ;  but  the  chances  are  that  the 
Tribune  is  wrong.  Your  model  Yankee  is  very  willing  to  use  the 
negro  as  a  hobby-horse  upon  which  to  ride  into  place  and  power,  but 
when  it  comes  to  inviting  him  to  his  house  and  embracing  him  as  a 
brother  he  is  very  apt  to  be  found  wanting.  The  only  society  Lieu- 
tenant of  Cavalry  Flipper  can  ever  hope  to  enjoy  is  that  which  will 
exist  when  there  are  enough  of  his  race  in  the  army  to  form  a  corps 
d'Afrique,  and  by  that  time  he  will  be  too  old  to  delight  in  social 
pleasures.  Meanwhile  he  will  be  doomed  to  a  life  of  solitude  and  self  - 
communings,  and  be  subjected  to  many  such  snubs  as  the  venerable 
Frederick  Douglass  has  but  recently  received  at  the  hands  of  that 
champion  mourner  for  the  poor  African— Rutherford  B.  Hayes." 

The  New  York  Tribune  is  right.  The  army  is 
officered  by  men,  not  by  West  Point  cadets,  who  are 
only  students  and  boys. 


320  THE   COLORED    CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

{From  the  Savannah  (Ga.)  Morning  News.) 
CHEERS    FOR   FLIPPER. 

"  The  miscegenationists  and  social  equality  advocates  are  making  a 
great  deal  of  noise  over  the  facts,  first,  that  a  negro  has  graduated  at 
West  Point,  and  holds  to-day  a  commission  in  the  United  States 
Army  ;  and  second,  that  when  he  went  up  to  receive  his  diploma,  he 
was,  alone  of  all  the  members  of  his  class,  the  recipient  of  a  round  of 
applause.  Great  things  are  augured  from  these  two  circumstances, 
especially  the  latter. 

"  It  is  reasoned  that  now,  that  a  negro  has  at  last  been  able  to  secure 
a  commission  in  the  military  service  of  the  country,  the  first  step  to- 
wards the  recognition  of  his  race  on  the  basis  of  social  equality  is 
accomplished,  by  degrees  prejudice  will  wear  away,  and,  in  course  of 
time,  black  and  white  citizens  of  this  republic  will  mingle  freely  and 
without  reserve  ;  and  this,  it  is  claimed,  is  shown  by  the  applause 
with  which  the  reception  into  the  army  of  this  African  pioneer  was 
greeted.  For  our  part  we  don't  see  that  these  negro  devotees  and 
miscegenationists  have  any  reason  to  rejoice.  It  is  just  as  impossible 
to  establish  perfect  social  equality  between  the  Anglo-Saxon  and  Afri- 
can races  as  it  is  to  make  oil  and  water  unite.  It  is  against  nature, 
and  nowhere  in  the  world  is  the  antipathy  to  such  a  mingling  shown 
more  than  in  the  North,  and  by  no  people  so  strongly  as  by  the  very 
men  who  whine  so  incessantly  and  so  pretentiously  about  '  men  and 
brethren.'  The  negro  in  the  South  has  always  found  the  white  man 
of  the  South  to  be  his  best  and  truest  friend,  and  such  will  always  be 
the  case,  notwithstanding  that  the  Southern  white  will  never  consent 
to  social  equality  with  his  fellow-citizen  of  African  descent. 

"  As  to  the  applause  which  greeted  Flipper,  that  can  easily  be  ac- 
counted for.  Nothing  is  more  likely  than  that  at  West  Point  there 
should  have  been  gathered  together  a  lot  of  old-time  South-haters, 
who  were  ready  to  applaud,  not  so  much  to  flatter  Flipper  as  to  show 
that  they  were  happy  over  what  they  felt  to  be  a  still  further  humilia- 
tion of  the  South.     That  is  all  there  is  in  that. 

"  We  have  no  objections  to  such  demonstrations  of  delight.  As  far 
as  we  are  concerned  they  may  be  indulged  in  to  the  heart's  content 
by  those  who  so  desire.  But  one  piece  of  information  we  can  give  to 
the  young  colored  Georgia  lieutenant.  If  he  thinks  those  who  ap- 
plauded him  are  going  to  invite  him  to  their  houses  he  will  be  greatly 
disappointed.    And  if  he  does  not  die  of  overeating  until  those  peo- 


THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT.  321 

pie  invite  him  to  dine  -with  them,  he  will  live  to  a  good  old  age.  Let 
him  take  the  fate  of  the  recognized  leader  of  his  race,  Fred  Doug- 
lass, as  an  example,  and  steer  clear  of  his  too  demonstrative  friends. 
Experience  shows  that  so  long  as  they  can  use  him,  they  will  be  very 
profuse  in  their  professions  of  friendship  ;  but  when  that  is  done  all 
is  done,  and  he  will  find  himself  completely  cast  aside.  If  Flipper 
sees  these  words,  let  him  mark  our  prediction." 

"And  many  false  prophets  shall  arise,  and  deceive 
many"  (Matt.  21  :  11).  Amen.  That  is  all  that 
article  is  worth. 

{From  the  Monmouth  Inquirer,  Freehold,  N.  J.) 
LIEUTENANT  FLIPPER. 

"  When  Congress  founded  West  Point,  to  be  a  training  school  for 
those  who  were  to  be  paid  as  public  servants  and  to  wear  the  public 
livery,  we  do  not  think  that  it  was  intended  that  the  institution  should 
serve  as  a  hotbed  for  the  fostering  of  aristocratic  prejudices  and  the 
assumption  of  aristocratic  airs.  Nor  do  we  think  that  when  Lincoln 
declared  the  negro  a  freeman,  and  entitled  to  a  freeman's  rights, 
either  he  or  the  nation  designed  that  the  dusky  skin  of  the  enfran- 
chised slave  should  serve  as  an  excuse  for  ignominy,  torture,  and 
disgrace.  Yet  here,  this  year,  in  the  graduating  class  from  West 
Point,  steps  a  young  man  among  his  white-skinned  fellows,  fiftieth  in 
a  class  of  seventy-six  members,  whose  four  years  of  academic  life 
have  been  one  long  martyrdom  ;  who  has  stood  utterly  alone,  ignored 
and  forsaken  among  his  fellows  ;  who  has  had  not  one  helping  hand 
from  professors  or  students  to  aid  him  in  fighting  his  hard  battle,  and 
whom  only  his  own  talents  and '  sturdy  pluck  have  saved  from  entire 
oblivion.  Yet  in  spite  of  all,  he  was  graduated  ;  he  has  left  twenty- 
six  white  students  behind  him  ;  he  is  a  second  lieutenant  in  the  reg- 
ular army,  and  the  story  of  his  struggles  and  his  hard-won  victory  is 
known  from  Oregon  to  Florida.  All  honor  to  the  first  of  his  race  who 
has  stemmed  the  tide  and  won  the  prize. 

"  We  do  not  think  the  faculty  at  West  Point  have  done  their  duty  in 
this  matter.  One  word,  one  example  from  them,  would  have  stop- 
ped the  persecution,  and  it  is  to  their  disgrace  that  no  such  word  was 
spoken  and  no  such  example  set." 

I  have  not  a  word  to  say  against  any  of  the  pro- 


322  THE   COLORED   CADET  AT   WEST   POINT. 

f  essors  or  instructors  who  were  at  West  Point  during 
the  period  of  my  cadetship.  I  have  every  thing  to 
say  in  their  praise,  and  many  things  to  be  thankful 
for.  I  have  felt  perfectly  free  to  go  to  any  officer 
for  assistance,  whenever  I  have  wanted  it,  because 
their  conduct  toward  me  made  me  feel  .that  I  would 
not  be  sent  away  without  having  received  whatever 
help  I  may  have  wanted.  All  I  could  say  of  the  pro- 
fessors and  officers  at  the  Academy  would  be  unqua- 
lifiedly in  their  favor. 


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